American citizen Swedi Murekezi, 35 years old, was detained in Kherson and is now in custody on the territory of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, writes the British newspaper “Guardian”
As the newspaper reported, citing relatives of the man, he was engaged in crypto-currency investments and often traveled to Ukraine, and in 2020 he moved there permanently. Before moving, he lived in Minnesota and is served in the US Air Force for eight years.
A month ago he stopped communicating, and on July 7 he contacted his relatives and said that he accused of participating in street protests. According to his relatives, Murekezi did not take part in street actions or military actions in Ukraine.
He is reported to be in the same prison as two other former US servicemenwhich were captured in mid-June.
Earlier in an interview with American media, the spokesman of the Russian president Dmitry Peskov stated that he could not guaranteethat the American servicemen captured in Russia, who fought as volunteers in the Ukrainian army, no death penalty will be imposed. “I can’t guarantee anything. It depends on the investigation,” Peskov told MSNBC. According to Peskov, these Americans have nothing to do with the Ukrainian army and therefore do not fall within the scope of the Geneva Conventions.
Peskov called the Americans “soldiers of fortune”who participate in “illegal operations” in Ukraine.
The US State Department said on Wednesday it was “aware of these unconfirmed reports” but declined to provide further comment.
We remind you that even before the start of the war in Ukraine, the American authorities warned all American citizens to leave the country immediately and not to travel there.
The White House is searching for two Americans who went missing in Ukraine
The two fought in the Kharkiv region
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