BREAKING: Two Americans who were being held captive by Russian-backed forces after volunteering to fight with Ukrainian forces have been released, their families say.
Alexander Drueke and Andy Tai Ngoc Huynh are Americans who had volunteered to join the Ukrainian forces. Both are now missing in Ukraine."We are thrilled to announce that Alex and Andy are free," the families said. "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."
"We deeply appreciate everyone's prayers and especially the close communication and support of our elected officials, Ukrainian Ambassador Markarova, and our members of the US embassies in Ukraine and Saudi Arabia and the US Department of State," the statement continued.The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Wednesday that "mediation efforts" on behalf of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman led to the release of 10 prisoners of war -- among them U.S.
The prisoners of war also included Moroccan, U.K., Swedish and Croatian nationals, the ministry said.Rep. Robert Aderholt, R-Ala., said in a statement that his office is working to get more information from the U.S. State Department on the health of the men and how soon they will be back in the U.S. "I want to say how thankful and relieved I am that they have been freed," he said. "I know we all look forward to seeing them back safely, on American soil."
Drueke's family told ABC News they were able to speak with Drueke on the phone for about 10 minutes on Wednesday from Saudi Arabia, during which Drueke said he and Huynh were at a hospital being evaluated and were then going to be taken to an apartment to sleep.This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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