The Russian military released 10 foreign prisoners of war in a swap, the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Wednesday.
The 10 POWs, captured while fighting in Ukraine, have been sent to Saudi Arabia, where they are facilitating their returns to their home countries, which include the United States, the United Kingdom, Sweden, and Croatia.
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Two of them are Americans — former servicemen Alexander Drueke, 39, and Andy Huynh, 27 — according to various outlets. They had been captured in June while fighting alongside Ukrainian forces near the Kharkiv region.
“We are thrilled to announce that Alex and Andy are free. They are safely in the custody of the US embassy in Saudi Arabia and after medical checks and debriefing they will return to the States. We deeply appreciate everyone’s prayers and especially the close communication and support of our elected officials, Ukrainian Ambassador Markarova, and our members of the US embassies in Ukraine and Saudi Arabia and the US Department of State,” Diana Shaw, a spokesperson for the families and Drueke’s aunt, said, according to CNN.
U.K. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly announced in a statement that five British nationals, including four prisoners of war and one civilian, were among those who got their freedom in the swap.
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The Saudi ministry noted that it was “an exchange of POWs between Russia and Ukraine” but did not provide any details on who or how many Russian prisoners of war were returned in the deal.
The State Department did not respond to a request for comment regarding Drueke and Huynh.
