This is the first public comment by the Russian presidency on the case of two American ex-servicemen, Alexander Druki and Andy Wen, according to NBC.
Two Americans, who were captured while fighting in the ranks of the Kiev armed forces, “endangered” the lives of Russian servicemen and should be “accountable for the crimes” they committed, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Dmitry said on Monday. during an interview he gave to the American television network NBC News.
This is the first public comment by the Russian presidency on the case of two American ex-servicemen, Alexander Druki and Andy Wen, according to NBC.
“These are mercenaries who have been involved in illegal activities on Ukrainian territory,” said Dmitry Peshkov, who spoke in English. “They were involved in shootings and artillery fire against Russian soldiers, they ‘put their lives in danger,'” he continued.
“They should be held accountable for the crimes they committed,” the Kremlin spokesman said, adding that “these crimes should be investigated.”
Asked about the nature of the crimes alleged against the two Americans, Dmitry Peshkov acknowledged that the exact details were not yet known, but stressed that they were not covered by the Geneva Conventions on Prisoners of War.
The two men “do not belong to the Ukrainian army, therefore they are not subject to the Geneva Conventions,” he argued.
Last week, a Russian television network uploaded videos of Alex Drucky and Andy Wen to social networking sites. Neither the circumstances under which the two ex-soldiers were captured, nor where they are being held have been clarified. Mr. Peshkov limited himself to saying that they are in the hands of the “authorities”.
Asked if they were in danger of being sentenced to death, a spokesman for the Russian presidency said: “It will depend on the investigation.”
US President Joe Biden said on Friday that he was unaware of the whereabouts of the two men, who, like many other foreign volunteers – “mercenaries” in Moscow – were fighting alongside the Ukrainian army.
A State Department spokesman confirmed on Saturday that he had seen photos and videos of the two men, who were “captured by the Russian armed forces in Ukraine.” “We are closely monitoring the situation,” said a spokesman for the US State Department.
