Bombing Around Kharkov Escalated Overnight Without Russian Intervention Ukrainian Officials Say

Two U.S. volunteer fighters for Ukraine have been detained by Russian-backed separatists in Donetsk after being arrested by Russian forces last week, according to Russian state media. Alexander John-Robert Drueke, 39, of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and Andy Tai Ngoc Huynh, 27, of Hartselle, Alabama, were interviewed by the Russian channel RT at a detention center in the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic ( DPR) on Friday, according to a report published on RT. Missing near Kharkiv: The two Americans went missing on June 9 during a battle north of Kharkiv and there were fears that they might have been captured by Russian forces, according to their families and a fellow citizen. Video appearances: On Friday, short video clips appeared on pro-Russian channels and social media showing men being held in an unknown location. It was not clear then who was holding them. A State Department spokesman told CNN on Friday that “they have seen the photos and videos of these two U.S. citizens who were allegedly arrested by Russian military forces in Ukraine.” “We are closely monitoring the situation and our hearts are with their families during this difficult time,” they said. “We are in contact with the Ukrainian authorities, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the families themselves … for privacy reasons, we have no further comment on these cases. “ Separately, an edited video of more than 50 minutes was released on Saturday in which Drueke and Huynh were interviewed by HelmCast, a pro-Russian Serbian nationalist YouTube channel. Donetsk: In the interview, a man behind the camera is heard revealing the location of their interview when he says “here in Donetsk” during a question to Drueke. He was beaten while in custody: Drueke was also asked in the interview if he had any objections to how he had been treated since his arrest and revealed that he had been beaten several times.
Why their location is important: The Drueke and Huynh detention center is a potentially disturbing development. Russia has a moratorium on the death penalty, while Donetsk is using firing squads to execute convicted detainees, according to Russian state media RIA Novosti. Foreign fighters: On June 9, a court in the DRC sentenced foreign fighters, two British citizens and a Moroccan national to death, after accusing them of being “mercenaries” for Ukraine. The internationally unrecognized DPR court said the men had one month to appeal. Prisoner exchange denied: Hopes that a prisoner exchange between Ukraine and pro-Russian separatists could release any foreign fighters detained in Donetsk have been dashed after Denis Pushilin, the self-proclaimed head of the DPR, denied such allegations. “The exchange of Britons sentenced to death in the GDR is out of the question, there is no reason to pardon them,” Pushilin told the independent Russian investigative newspaper Novaya Gazeta on Thursday. The Donetsk People’s Republic did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Drueke and Huynh’s detention. CNN chooses not to broadcast videos of American detainees because they show men talking under pressure.

title: “Bombing Around Kharkov Escalated Overnight Without Russian Intervention Ukrainian Officials Say " ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-10” author: “Daniel Coleman”

Two U.S. volunteer fighters for Ukraine have been detained by Russian-backed separatists in Donetsk after being arrested by Russian forces last week, according to Russian state media. Alexander John-Robert Drueke, 39, of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and Andy Tai Ngoc Huynh, 27, of Hartselle, Alabama, were interviewed by the Russian channel RT at a detention center in the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic ( DPR) on Friday, according to a report published on RT. Missing near Kharkiv: The two Americans went missing on June 9 during a battle north of Kharkiv and there were fears that they might have been captured by Russian forces, according to their families and a fellow citizen. Video appearances: On Friday, short video clips appeared on pro-Russian channels and social media showing men being held in an unknown location. It was not clear then who was holding them. A State Department spokesman told CNN on Friday that “they have seen the photos and videos of these two U.S. citizens who were allegedly arrested by Russian military forces in Ukraine.” “We are closely monitoring the situation and our hearts are with their families during this difficult time,” they said. “We are in contact with the Ukrainian authorities, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the families themselves … for privacy reasons, we have no further comment on these cases. “ Separately, an edited video of more than 50 minutes was released on Saturday in which Drueke and Huynh were interviewed by HelmCast, a pro-Russian Serbian nationalist YouTube channel. Donetsk: In the interview, a man behind the camera is heard revealing the location of their interview when he says “here in Donetsk” during a question to Drueke. He was beaten while in custody: Drueke was also asked in the interview if he had any objections to how he had been treated since his arrest and revealed that he had been beaten several times.
Why their location is important: The Drueke and Huynh detention center is a potentially disturbing development. Russia has a moratorium on the death penalty, while Donetsk is using firing squads to execute convicted detainees, according to Russian state media RIA Novosti. Foreign fighters: On June 9, a court in the DRC sentenced foreign fighters, two British citizens and a Moroccan national to death, after accusing them of being “mercenaries” for Ukraine. The internationally unrecognized DPR court said the men had one month to appeal. Prisoner exchange denied: Hopes that a prisoner exchange between Ukraine and pro-Russian separatists could release any foreign fighters detained in Donetsk have been dashed after Denis Pushilin, the self-proclaimed head of the DPR, denied such allegations. “The exchange of Britons sentenced to death in the GDR is out of the question, there is no reason to pardon them,” Pushilin told the independent Russian investigative newspaper Novaya Gazeta on Thursday. The Donetsk People’s Republic did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Drueke and Huynh’s detention. CNN chooses not to broadcast videos of American detainees because they show men talking under pressure.