Two American Soldiers Among 10 Foreign Fighters Released by Russia

Two American veterans, Alexander John-Robert Drueke, 39, and Andy Tai Ngoc Huynh, 27, were captured by Russian forces in June

Published September 21, 2022 • Updated on September 21, 2022 at 3:02 pm

File - A view from Kupiansk after the city was regained from Russian forces, in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on Sept. 17, 2022. — Metin Aktas/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Ten foreign fighters, including Americans who joined the war effort in Ukraine before they were captured and held by Russian forces, were released as part of an exchange of prisoners of war between Russia and Ukraine.

Two American veterans, Alexander John-Robert Drueke, 39, and Andy Tai Ngoc Huynh, 27, were captured by Russian forces in June and held by its proxies in the contested Donbas region that remains at the center of the war.

“We are thrilled to announce that Alex and Andy are free," Dianna Shaw and Bunny Drueke, the aunt and mom of Alexander Drueke, said in a statement. "They are safely in the custody of the US embassy in Saudi Arabia and after medical checks and debriefing they will return to the States."

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