Alexander J. Drueke and Andy Tai Huynh, both from Alabama, were arrested in June near the northeastern border city of Kharkiv. He is among hundreds of Westerners who have traveled to Ukraine to take up arms against Russian forces. Drueke previously served in the US Army while Huynh is a Marine Corps veteran. The men’s release was a stunning development, its announcement coming hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin said he had ordered the mobilization of 300,000 military reservists to shore up the Kremlin’s staggering battlefield losses over the past seven months. And while it was not immediately clear who was released in exchange for Drueke and Hyunh, their release from captivity is sure to increase pressure on the Biden administration to secure the release of two Americans imprisoned in Russia, WNBA star Brittney Griner and Marine veteran Paul Whelan. . Officials at the U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia called the Americans’ families Wednesday morning, said Diana Shaw, Drewek’s aunt. Drueke’s mother, Lois Drueke, spoke with him for about 10 minutes and said her son appeared to be doing well, Shaw said, noting that Dreuke and Huynh were expected to undergo medical tests later in the day. “He was clean-sounding, clear-spoken,” Shaw said. “He sounded like himself.” Shaw expressed surprise at how the men’s release came about, although they awaited additional details. “I never dreamed it was a possibility that the Saudi government could do something like this,” he said. “But any port in a storm.” The Saudi government said in a statement that the other prisoners freed were from Britain, Morocco, Sweden and Croatia. Saudi Arabia credited itself and Mohammed personally with orchestrating the releases, although Riyadh’s role remains unclear. However, Saudi Arabia’s relations with Moscow have improved in recent months, even as ties with Washington remain under strain. Much of the US-Saudi tension revolves around human rights and congressional disapproval of the way Mohammed, or MBS as he is popularly known, is running the country of which he is de facto leader under his elderly father , King Salman. While the crown prince has said his goal is to modernize the country, repeated attacks on women’s rights have undermined his reputation here — already low after the 2018 killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents in Istanbul. According to US intelligence, MBS approved the operation. President Biden, seeking help to ease high gasoline prices and promote unity among Gulf states against Iran, visited Saudi Arabia in July but appeared to make little progress toward U.S. goals. At the same time, Saudi Arabia’s relations with Russia have deepened, including recent agreements, through the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, to lower production targets and Saudi investment in Russian energy companies despite US and European sanctions. Biden administration officials said they were awaiting Ukraine’s announcement of the releases before commenting. The news that five British nationals held by Russian-backed proxies in eastern Ukraine have been returned safely is extremely welcome, ending months of uncertainty and suffering for them and their families. — Liz Truss (@trussliz) September 21, 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss tweeted that it was “very welcome news that five British nationals held by Russian-backed proxies in eastern Ukraine have been returned safely, ending months of uncertainty and suffering for them and their families their”. Truss thanked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for his efforts to free the prisoners and added that Russia “must stop its merciless exploitation of prisoners of war and civilian prisoners for political purposes.” At least half a dozen US citizens are believed to have been killed in Ukraine since the invasion began in February. Another American citizen, retired Marine Corps officer Grady Kurpasi, was reported missing in southern Ukraine in late April. He was not among the inmates released Wednesday, said George Heath, a friend who spoke on behalf of Kurpasi’s family. Kurpasi was last seen near the southern city of Mykolaiv when he went to investigate the source of the incoming fire. Shortly thereafter, Willy Cancel, another Marine Corps veteran in the same group, was mortally wounded, becoming the first known American veteran to die in combat in Ukraine. The Drueke and Huynh families have had sporadic contact with their loved ones since their arrests, but the calls often seemed tense and scripted, Shaw said in an earlier interview. One of the biggest challenges in captivity, Drueke said in audio provided to The Post in July, was “finding little things to think about, just, you know, [to] fill the boredom.” The US government has, for many months, strongly warned Americans not to travel to either Ukraine or Russia. Whelan, who was convicted by a Russian court on espionage-related charges that his family says are false, is serving a 16-year prison sentence. Griner, who has been held in Russia since February, was sentenced last month to nine years in prison after pleading guilty to drug charges. The Biden administration believes both were held illegally, and has referred their cases to the US government’s top hostage negotiator. Souad Mekhennet contributed to this report.
War in Ukraine: What you need to know
The last: Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a “partial mobilization” of troops in an address to the nation on September 21, describing the move as an effort to defend Russian sovereignty against a West that seeks to use Ukraine as a tool to “divide and destroy Russia. .” Follow our live updates here. The battle: A successful Ukrainian counteroffensive forced a large Russian retreat in the northeastern region of Kharkiv in recent days, as troops abandoned towns and villages they had seized since the first days of the war and abandoned large amounts of military equipment. Annexation Referendums: Staggered referendums, which would be illegal under international law, are to be held from September 23 to 27 in the breakaway regions of Luhansk and Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, according to Russian news agencies. Another organized referendum will be held by the Moscow-appointed government in Kherson from Friday. Photos: Washington Post photographers have been on the ground since the start of the war — here are some of their strongest works. How you can help: Here are ways those in the US can help support the Ukrainian people as well as the donations people have made around the world. Read his full coverage Russia-Ukraine crisis. Are you on Telegram? Subscribe to our channel for updates and exclusive video.
