Two US veterans missing in Ukraine
Two American veterans from Alabama, who were in Ukraine helping in the war against Russia, have not been heard from for days and are missing, members of the congressional delegation said Wednesday.
Relatives of one of the men, 27, have not heard from him since June 8, when he was in the Kharkiv region of northeastern Ukraine, near the Russian border, along with the other 39-year-old soldier.
“My office conducted inquiries with the United States Department of State and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in an attempt to obtain all possible information,” said Robert Aderholt, a congressman with whom the soldiers’ families are in contact.
If confirmed, they would be the first Americans fighting for Ukraine known to have been captured since the war began on February 24.
The US State Department said it was reviewing reports that Russian or Russian-backed separatist forces in Ukraine had captured at least two US citizens.
John Kirby, White House national security spokesman, said Wednesday that the administration was unable to confirm the disappearance of the two Americans. “We will do our best to monitor this and see what we can learn from it”did he declare.
However, he reiterated his warnings against Americans traveling to Ukraine. “Ukraine is not where Americans travel”did he declare. “If you feel passionate about supporting Ukraine, there are plenty of ways to do it that are safer and just as effective. »