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SCREEN CAPTURE OF RUSSIAN VIDEO Andy Tai Ngoc Huynh |
Videos of Alabama residents Andy Tai Ngoc Huynh and Alexander Drueke are apparently still alive but the videos confirmed that the two Americans had been captured during a botched mission as members of a unit made up primarily of foreign soldiers who volunteered to fight on behalf of Ukraine against the Russian invaders.
Lois Drueke, Drueke's mother, said the U.S. State Department had not officially confirmed the authenticity of the video of her son, but she said, "We think it's Alex -- it looks like him (and) it sounds like him.
“Just seeing him move, just hearing his voice, gives us great hope," she added. "I don’t want to get my hopes up too much, but it does seem to be him.”
Russian media described the two men as "mercenaries." In the videos, they denounced the "propaganda" and "exaggerated facts" from Western media that misled them to volunteer their services for Ukraine.
In the 37-second video, Huynh, a Vietnamese American former Marine, described their capture and was due to bad intelligence reports that said the Russians had left the area. In the video, he said in Russian, "I am against war."
Views from the Edge is not showing the videos because the blog does not want to sensationalize the situation of potential prisoners of war or to play into the hands of the captors.
"When he saw the news coverage of what was happening in Ukraine it tore him up," she said. "He couldn’t sleep or eat, he felt so burdened that these people needed help."
Although Russian state media broadcast the videos, the U.S. State Report still says the reports are "unconfirmed," but continue to monitor and reach out to Ukraine authorities to find out the fate of the missing Americans.
President Biden has been following the issue. He repeated his warning asking Americans to avoid traveling to Ukraine.
Meanwhile, the search for a third American is continuing for retired Marine captain Grady Kurpasi, who served 12 years in the Marine Corps. .
All three Americans have been fighting in behalf of Ukraine only a few months before they were reported missing in combat. They represent a growing number of foreign ex-soldiers from several nations who have traveled to Ukraine to join the fight against the invading Russians.
Russian forces continue their assault on Ukraine's cities in in the country's eastern provinces. For the most part, Ukrainian forces have held the numerically superior forces but Western sources say that Ukraine's army is suffering hundreds of casualties every day, depleting the fighting forces.
President Biden has been following the issue. He repeated his warning asking Americans to avoid traveling to Ukraine.
Meanwhile, the search for a third American is continuing for retired Marine captain Grady Kurpasi, who served 12 years in the Marine Corps. .
All three Americans have been fighting in behalf of Ukraine only a few months before they were reported missing in combat. They represent a growing number of foreign ex-soldiers from several nations who have traveled to Ukraine to join the fight against the invading Russians.
Russian forces continue their assault on Ukraine's cities in in the country's eastern provinces. For the most part, Ukrainian forces have held the numerically superior forces but Western sources say that Ukraine's army is suffering hundreds of casualties every day, depleting the fighting forces.
EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter.
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