Captured US military veterans may face death penalty; Ben Stiller meets ‘hero’ Zelenskyy: Live Ukraine updates
Two American veterans who were captured earlier this month by Russian-backed separatist forces in a battle near Kharkiv may face the death penalty, Russian spokesman Dmitry Peskov told NBC News.
Peskov said the fates of Andy Tai Ngoc Huynh, 27, and Alexander Drueke, 39, will be decided by a Russian court. They were “involved in illegal activities …(and) should be punished,” he said, adding that they weren’t likely to be protected by Geneva Conventions afforded prisoners of war because they weren’t part of Ukraine’s regular army.
The State Department issued a statement calling on “the Russian government – as well as its proxies – to live up to their international obligations in their treatment of any individual, including those captured fighting in Ukraine.”
Huynh and Drueke are believed to be the first Americans captured by Russian forces since the war began on Feb. 24. The veterans traveled to Ukraine in April to help Ukrainians repel Russian forces.
Family of two US military veterans speak out about missing men
Last week, two Britons and a Moroccan were sentenced to death by Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine. Prosecutors claimed they were mercenaries and not entitled to protections afforded prisoners of war. When asked if the Americans would face the same fate, Petrov said he “cannot guarantee anything. It depends on the investigation.”
Latest developments
►The Nobel Peace Prize auctioned off by Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov to raise money for Ukrainian child refugees sold Monday night for $103.5 million, more than 20 times the highest amount previously paid for a Nobel. Muratov also donated to charity the $500,000 that came with the prize.
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Ben Stiller meets with ‘hero’ Zelenskyy in Ukraine
Actor and director Ben Stiller, a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations refugee program, met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday after visiting ruined residential areas of Irpin and talking to people who survived the occupation. Stiller described Zelenskyy as “my hero” and expressed dismay at the devastation the war has wrought.
“It’s one thing to see this destruction on TV or on social networks,” Stiller told Zelenskyy. “Another thing is to see it all with your own eyes. That’s a lot more shocking.”
Zelenskyy replied that while Irpin, not far from Kyiv, is “definitely dreadful,” occupied areas of the Donbas are much worse.
Attorney General Garland visits Ukraine for meeting with prosecutor
Attorney General Merrick Garland made an unannounced visit to Ukraine on Tuesday for a meeting with Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova to discuss the continuing effort to identify and apprehend suspected war criminals, according to a Justice Department official. Earlier this year, the attorney general pledged U.S. support for an international campaign to hold war criminals accountable for atrocities being documented by Ukrainian authorities.
for more acceptance of LGBTQ people.
Before Russia invaded, Ukraine — a largely religious nation with a long history of oppression against sexual and gender expression — had increasingly become a rare bright spot for LGBTQ rights and a sanctuary of sorts for Eastern Europe. Ex-Soviet LGBTQ individuals would travel to experience a gay nightclub scene, especially in larger cities like Kyiv, Kharkiv and Odesa, where they could feel safer to be open.
Now, what would have been the 10th anniversary of the Equality March in Kyiv this month was relocated to Poland because of the ongoing war.
“We had a lot and I hope we will rebuild it,” said Yuriy Dvizhon, creative director of UKRAINEPRIDE. Read more here.
– Tami Abdollah, USA TODAY
Contributing: The Associated Press