AL Political Reporter: “Two Alabama men and volunteer fighters in Ukraine who were captured by Russian-backed separatists during fighting near the city of Kharkiv in June have been released and transported to Saudi Arabia as part of a prisoner of war exchange between Ukraine and Russia, according to a statement from relatives and the Alabama congressional delegation.
Andy Tai Ngoc Huynh, 27, a former U.S. Marine living near Trinity in Lawrence County, and Alexander Drueke, 39, a former U.S. Army soldier originally from Tuscaloosa, went missing from Kharkiv on June 9, after their combat unit came under attack by Russian forces in the area, according to the Associated Press.
Both men are now in the U.S. embassy in Saudi Arabia, which is located in Riyadh, and are awaiting medical checks and debriefings before being transported back to the U.S., according to the mother and aunt of Drueke.”