Two US men fighting for Ukraine feared captured by Russia as war enters 113 day

Two American men fighting alongside Ukrainian forces in north of Kharkiv have been missing for a week, triggering fears that they may have been captured by Russian forces. According to CNN, both the men were fighting near the town of Izbytske, under Ukraine’s 92nd mechanised brigade, when they went missing. The men have been identified as Alexander John-Robert Drueke and Andy Tai Ngoc Huynh.

Hundreds of thousands of troops have joined Zelenskyy’s forces in combating the Russians as they try to capture key territories in eastern Ukraine. Speaking to CNN on the condition of anonymity, the team’s sergeant said that subsequent search missions for both of them failed to find any remains. Interestingly, a post on a Russian propaganda channel on Telegram the following day claimed that two Americans had been captured near Kharkiv.

"It was absolute chaos," he told CNN, adding that "There was about a hundred plus infantry advancing on our positions. We had a T72 firing on people from 30, 40 meters away."

Meanwhile, Alexander’s mother said that the US embassy in Ukraine hasn’t been able to independently verify that he is missing or has been captured as a prisoner of war with Russians. "They stay in close touch with me, and I have every confidence that they are working on the situation." Her view was substantiated by Huynh’s fiance who said that they were looking at certain scenarios and one of them is that they might have been captured. 

On Wednesday, a US State Department spokesperson emphasised that the American officials "are aware of unconfirmed reports of two US citizens captured in Ukraine." "We are closely monitoring the situation and are in contact with Ukrainian authorities," the spokesperson said. "Due to privacy considerations, we have no further comment," they added. National Security Council coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby said that if the news of their capture is true, then Washington will do everything to save them.

Sievierodonetsk becomes new target

As the war continues to ravage Europe, Russian troops have shifted the centre of their offensive to Severodonetsk in the Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR). The Ukrainian Governor of Luhansk, Serhiy Haidai, told The Associated Press that “heavy fighting in Severodonetsk continues today as well.” Sepepretist held Luhansk and Donetsk regions make up the Donbas region. As the situation gets worse, Haidai said that Zlenskyy’s forces were “holding the enemy from three sides at once.” 

(Image: AP)