The big picture: The State Department issued a statement to Axios and other media calling on the Kremlin and its proxies to “abide by their international obligations to treat anyone, including those captured while fighting in Ukraine.” “. What they say: In the Kremlin’s first comments on the arrest of Alex Drueke and Andy Huynh, Peskov told NBC’s Keir Simmons that Drueke, 39, and Huynh, 27, were “soldiers of luck” and “not subject to the Geneva Conventions.” .
“These guys on the battlefield were shooting at our military. They were risking their lives,” said a senior spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin. “They should be punished.” When Simmons asked Peshkov if the two veterans would face the death penalty, he replied: “It depends on the investigation.”
Looking back: The Huynh and Drueke families reported last week that Alabama veterinarians were missing.
A third American who traveled to Ukraine during the Russian military invasion, Grady Kurpashi, was later reported missing. Peshkov told NBC he could not provide any information on the whereabouts of the former US Marine.
