In a statement to CNN on Saturday, a State Department spokesman did not provide any details about the individuals or the circumstances of their deaths, but said they are “in contact with the families and providing all possible consular assistance.” .
“Out of respect for the families at this difficult time, we have nothing more to add,” the spokesman said.
Asked about the status of Alexander Drueke and Andy Hunyh, two Americans captured by Russian forces while fighting in Ukraine, the spokesman said they “have been in contact with Ukrainian and Russian authorities regarding North Americans who may have been captured by Russian forces or proxies. while fighting in Ukraine.”
“We call on Russia to fulfill its international obligations to treat as prisoners of war all persons captured fighting with the armed forces of Ukraine.”
The so-called Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) is a self-declared Russian-backed republic that has ruled a breakaway part of Ukraine’s Donetsk region since 2014.
The State Department spokesman noted that “generally, the US government communicates with the International Committee of the Red Cross Central Tracing Agency on missing persons.”
“However, we do not discuss specific cases publicly,” they said, adding that they “have no further details to share at this time.”