Two Americans, captured in Ukraine while fighting with kyiv's armed forces, "endangered" Russian soldiers and must be "held accountable for these crimes", Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday. from an interview with the American channel NBC News.
This is the first comment from the Kremlin on the case of these two former American soldiers, Alexander Drueke and Andy Huynh, according to NBC.
"They are mercenaries and they were involved in illegal activities on the territory of Ukraine," said Dmitri Peskov, in English.
“They were involved in shooting and shelling” by Russian soldiers, “they put their lives in danger”, he continued.
A risk of the death penalty?
"They must be held accountable for the crimes they committed," added the Kremlin spokesman.
"These crimes must be investigated."
Asked about the nature of the crimes charged against the two Americans, Dmitri Peskov admitted that the characteristics of their offenses were not yet known, ensuring however that they were not covered by the Geneva Conventions on prisoners of war.
Read alsoFollow the news of the conflict live
The two men "are not in the Ukrainian army, so they are not subject to the Geneva Conventions", he argued.
Last week, Russian public television posted videos of Alexander Drueke and Andy Huynhe on social media.
The circumstances under which the two former servicemen are being held, and who is holding them, are unclear.
Dmitri Peskov was content to say that they were in the hands of the “authorities”.
As to whether they face the death penalty, the Russian spokesman said: "It depends on the investigation."
“We are monitoring the situation closely”
US President Joe Biden said on Friday that he did not know where the two men were, who would have joined other foreign volunteer fighters alongside the Ukrainian army.
A State Department spokesman confirmed on Saturday that he had seen the photos and videos of the two American citizens "who were allegedly captured by Russian military forces in Ukraine".
“We are monitoring the situation closely,” he told AFP.
Rolling Stone magazine reported on Monday that a second US citizen was killed fighting in Ukraine after stepping on a mine.
A funeral notice for Stephen Zabielski, 52, was published in early June on a newspaper's website in Florida and indicates that he died on May 15 in the Zaporijjia region (east).
A 22-year-old former Marine, Willy Joseph Cancel, had already been killed in Ukraine in April.
Basketball player Brittney Griner still in detention
Also questioned about the detention in Russia of the American female basketball star Brittney Griner for transporting narcotics, Mr. Peskov rejected the idea that she was being held hostage: “We cannot consider her a hostage.
Why should we call her a hostage?
She broke Russian law and now she is being prosecuted.”
Brittney Griner was arrested at Moscow airport in February after her hand luggage was found to have "vapes" and "a liquid with a peculiar smell" of cannabis oil, according to Russia's Federal Customs Service.
She faces up to 10 years in prison.
In May, Washington said Russia was "unfairly" holding the basketball player.
His case is now in the hands, on the American side, of the special envoy of the United States in charge of those taken hostage.
His detention was extended until July 2 by a court near Moscow.
