Family Loses Contact With Veteran From Tuscaloosa Who Volunteered In Ukraine

TUSCALOOSA, AL — Two United States military veterans from Alabama, including one from Tuscaloosa, have been reported missing after volunteering for military service in Ukraine, following the invasion by Russia forces in February.

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The Associated Press reported Wednesday that the families of Andy Tai Ngoc Huynh, 27, of Trinity and Alexander Drueke, 39, of Tuscaloosa, have been in contact with Alabama's congressional delegation concerning the men’s whereabouts.

The families of both men confirmed to national media outlets that they went missing near Kharkiv and have not been heard from since June 8.

U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell, a Democrat from Birmingham, was quoted in the AP report saying Drueke’s mother reached out to her office earlier this week after she lost contact with her son.

What's more, media reports cite the U.S. State Department, which said it had received information that Russian or Russian-backed separatist forces in Ukraine had captured at least two American citizens.

If indeed the two men were captured, they would be the first Americans to become prisoners of war in the conflict.

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