Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman would not guarantee that two US military veterans captured in Ukraine will not face the death penalty. in an exclusive interview on Monday.
“It depends on the investigation,” Dmitry Peskov told NBC News Senior International Correspondent Keir Simmons when asked if Alexander Drueke and Andy Huynh “would meet the same fate” as two British citizens and a Moroccan who were sentenced to death for Moscow. backed separatists in eastern Ukraine this month.
The families of Drueke, 39, and Huynh, 27, reported them missing last week.
For more on the interview, tune in Nightly News with Lester Holt tonight at 6:30 pm ET/5:30 pm CT.
Simmons interviewed Peskov in Moscow, where the government is cracking down on journalists and limiting what they can say under threat of imprisonment.
Peskov said that Drueke and Huynh were “engaged in illegal activities” in Ukraine, shooting at Russian troops.
“Those guys on the battlefield were shooting at our military. They were putting their lives in danger,” he said.
“There will be a court and there will be a court decision,” Peskov said.
“They should be punished,” he added, calling Drueke and Huynh “soldiers of fortune.”
The Ukrainian government said in early March that 20,000 people from 52 countries volunteered to fight with the Ukrainian International Legion after the government called on foreigners to join its fight against Russia. It is not known how many there are now in the country.
Damien Magrou, a Foreign Legion spokesman, said he could not “confirm or deny” whether Drueke and Huynh were with the force.
Peskov also did not say whether the men were being held in Russia or by pro-Russian forces fighting Ukrainians in the east of the country. He added that they were unlikely to be covered by the Geneva Conventions that provide protection for prisoners of war because they were not part of Ukraine’s regular army.
Drueke’s mother said in an interview last week that her son was not in Ukraine to fight and was there more as an adviser, while Huynh’s fiancee said they had discussed their fight before they got engaged in late March.
On Friday, RT, a Russian state-controlled international television network, aired videos of Huynh and Drueke, which reported that they were being held captive by separatists.
Peskov, who spoke to NBC News as Russia advanced in eastern Ukraine, said he had no information on Grady Kurpasi, the third former US service member who was also reported missing in Ukraine by his family.
Peskov also denied that American WNBA star Brittney Griner, who was detained at a Russian airport in February after authorities said she was carrying vape cartridges containing hashish oil, was being held “hostage.”
He reiterated the Kremlin’s claim that aggressive Western sanctions are having little effect on the Russian economy as Moscow refocuses on replacing restricted imports with domestic production.
He also reiterated that NATO and the US did not leave Russia with “no choice” but to launch its operation in Ukraine after his security concerns about the military bloc’s alleged invasion of its borders went unheeded.
Laura Saravia Y Natasha Lebedeva contributed.
Reference-www.nbcnews.com