Both men, 39-year-old Alexander Drueke and 27-year-old Andy Huynh, served as volunteers in Ukraine’s regular army.
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During the fierce fighting taking place northeast of Kharkov last week, the Russians captured them.
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The pair joined the growing number of military volunteers from the West who captured Russian forces, including at least two Britons, Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner.
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The court sentenced the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic as a “mercenary” to death.
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According to the server, the capture of the Americans may serve as proof that the United States is directly involved in the war, and Russian President Vladimir Putin is likely to demand significant concessions from America for the release of the prisoners.
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A State Department spokesman said diplomats knew of unconfirmed reports that two US citizens had been captured in Ukraine.
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“We are monitoring the situation closely and we are in contact with the Ukrainian authorities. For privacy reasons, we will refrain from further comments, “he said.
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He reiterated the warning that American citizens should not travel to Ukraine or leave the country as soon as possible.
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A friend of the two Americans, who did not want to be named, said that the men had been taken prisoner after a Ukrainian unit was taken by a much larger Russian unit last Thursday. “We were on a mission and everything went awry,” he said.
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“We have received bad information. They said the city would be clean, but it turned out that it was the Russians who had attacked it. They arrived with two T-72 tanks and many BMP3 infantry fighting vehicles and about a hundred soldiers. We were just a team of ten men, “he added.
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The unit went on defense as Drueke and Huynh fired an anti-tank reactive grenade at a Russian vehicle and destroyed it.
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However, they attracted the attention of one of the tanks, which fired in their direction, but apparently missed.
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Shortly afterwards, the tank was paralyzed by an anti-tank mine, which the Ukrainians planted on the way. Both Americans disappeared in the smoke and smoke of the battle and were apparently captured by Russian soldiers at the time.
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“We think they were deprived of consciousness by an anti-tank mine explosion or a bullet fired at them by a tank, because we later searched for them, but found nothing at all, even though we sent drones and a Ukrainian search team. If the tank hit them, the remains of their bodies or equipment would remain, ”said a friend.
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The suspicion was confirmed later that night by a report in the Russian Telegram application, which claimed that two Americans had become prisoners of war near Kharkov.
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“A lot of things answered than it was for someone else. We are the only Americans fighting in this area, “he added.
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Drueke of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, previously served in the U.S. military during the campaign in Iraq. His mother, Lois, 68, said his son had a post-traumatic disorder when he returned and tried to keep his job.
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“The US embassy has assured me that they are doing everything they can to find him. I very much hope that he will exchange him for Russian prisoners, “she said.
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Huynh was born in California but lived in Alabama. He previously served in the Marines. His partner, Joy Black, said she received word from Huynh’s friends on Monday that she was missing.
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She added that the idea of becoming a volunteer had “gnawed” at Huynh since the first day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
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“I tried to persuade him not to leave, but I think he already had an opinion. I saw him think about it. Finally, he apologized to me and said he really had to go. He didn’t tell me about the operation he had been in last week so he wouldn’t scare me. I just want him back safe, ”she said.
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