According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, the two Americans captured in Ukraine while fighting against Russian forces had committed crimes. Here’s the full story.
Russia: US soldiers in Ukraine are not under Geneva Convention
Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesman stated that the two Americans captured while fighting against Russian forces in Ukraine had committed crimes. Branding them “soldiers of fortune,” he added that the prisoners do not fall under the Geneva Conventions. He said that they were not part of Ukraine’s army.
The two soldiers were identified as Alexander Drueke, 39, and Andy Huynh, 27, however, their whereabouts are unknown. Both men are believed to be from Alabama.
“The only thing that is clear is that they have committed crimes. They are not in the Ukrainian army. They are not subject to the Geneva Convention,” Peskov told a television network.
More on the captured soldiers
State Department spokesman Ned Price had urged Russia to treat the captured soldiers as “prisoners of war under the Geneva Convention”.
“Prisoners of war must be afforded the treatment and protections commensurate with that status, including humane treatment and fundamental process and fair-trial guarantees,” Price added.
He also revealed that a third US citizen has also gone missing. Earlier, Russia had sentenced two Britons and a Moroccan, labeling them as mercenaries in the separatist Donetsk court.