two of them from alabama seen together in this image, alexander drueke and andy huynh. tonight, the images from state-controlled media, showing andy huynh appearing under duress, delivering a propaganda message. alexander drueke sending a message to his mother back home. late today, retired marine captain grady kurpasi identified as a third volunteer missing in ukraine. his family hasn't heard from him since april. tonight, the kremlin is denying they know anything about these men. president biden saying he has been briefed, and the president again urging americans not to go to ukraine. abc's james longman leading us off tonight from eastern ukraine. >> reporter: tonight, state-controlled media in russia has released videos of two americans taken captive in ukraine. 27-year-old andy huynh of alabama was recorded here delivering pro-russian propaganda, presumably coerced into doing so. abc news will not air the contents of the message. the russian news outlet rt says the video was recorded yesterday in a detention center in the donbas region of eastern ukraine. another v

joining me now, joy black, andy huynh's fiancee. thank you for your time tonight and we are so sorry for all you are enduring. >> thank you for having me. >> of course. i wonder what your reaction is, first, of that news but we just heard from putin's press secretary that andy has committed crimes against russian forces and he is not protected by the geneva conventions because it is not a ukrainian soldier? when you hear that, what do you think? >> andy and alex are not mercenaries. they are not soldiers of fortune. they are a part of the ukrainian military. and they are a part of that military, meaning they are prisoners of war and they should be treated as such under the geneva convention. >> there is this new video that surfaced over the weekend and it shows both alexander drueke and your fiance, and it comes after this photo was posted on russian social media, showing them in a truck with their hands behind their backs. the latest video, which, again, we are not showing because it shows the men under duress, drueke reveals he's

well, today, russian media showed video of two of the men, alexander drueke and andy huynh, apparently in russian custody. but tonight, we're not going to play the audio on this video so as not to play into any propaganda. the pair vanished about a week ago in eastern ukraine, where the fighting has been brutal. russian forces are out to crush ukrainian resistance and take control of the entire donbas region. well, today, president biden says the u.s. doesn't know where the two men are and said americans should stay out of ukraine. there's a lot to get to this evening. cbs' chris livesay is going to lead us off tonight from ukraine. good evening, chris. >> reporter: good evening, norah. the kremlin says it doesn't know anything about american prisoners in russia, but members of their squadron tell us images of them in russian hands are undeniably real. they're alive, but in russian custody and forced to speak russian. a member of their squad tells cbs news they are 100% certain the video and this photo are real, all circulating in russian media. >> it's his body language. it's his voic

video said to show alexander drueke and andy huynh, appearin on russian television this evening the men apparently captured by russian troops we are showing still frames of the video that appears to show both men alive a third american remains unaccounted for. they are among an unknown number of u.s. citizens that traveled on their own to fight on behalf of ukraine, prompting a renewed warning against such travel from president biden today. notably the captured americans were not mentioned by a defiant president vladimir putin today in a speech in the russian city of st. petersburg keir simmons is there tonight, and thus, we remind you russia is cracking down on the media, limiting what reporters can say under threat of imprisonment. >> reporter: tonight russian media showing images they say are american military veterans captured in ukraine. they spoke to them, but we are not showing those interviews alex drueke is a former u.s. army staff sergeant, and andy huyhn is a former marine both had gone to volunteer to fight with ukrainian troops. >> i mean, they don't look bad they look good

alex drueke and andy huynh where are they and who's holding them and what's next? >> they are soldiers of fortune, an they were involved in illegal activities on the territory of ukraine. they were involved in firing and shelling our military personnel. they were endangering their life they should be held responsible for those crimes that they have committed. >> reporter: in an exclusive intervie i asked the kremlin spokesperson peskov about the two british nationals and the moroccan captured by separatists rebels in ukraine now sentenced to death >> can you guarantee that these americans will not face the same fate >> no, i can't guarantee anything it depends on the investigation. >> reporter: we asked about another american being held in russia, wnba star brittney griner who was detained at the airport in februar accused of carrying vaping cartridges >> she was taking part in sports. it is a terrible message that she should be arrested >> it is also a terrible message to bring some forbidden essences and materials to this country, and it is prosecuted by russian

army staff sergeant who served two tours in iraq according to his family, and 27-year-old andy huynh, a former marine, both were serving near the eastern city of kharkiv and according to andy's fiancee joy black they went missing last thursday. she got the dreaded call from a friend of andy's in ukraine on monday >> he told me how during an operation they got separated and that andy and alex did not make their rendezvous point. >> what did you do then >> my mom has a big pillow on her bed and i just kind of lik fell on it and cried a lot. >> reporter: back in april 21-year-old black dropped off her new fiance at the airport. >> can you tell me the last time you saw him? i know it's hard. >> i gave him a hug, and he kissed me, and he told me he loves me and he'll be back soon >> reporter: like black alex drueke's mother last heard from her son on june 8th. >> i wrote back, stay safe and i love you. and he wrote back -- i'm sorry. he wrote back, i love you, too and that's the last i heard from him >> reporter: and tonight the state department not confirming the disappearances, now sayin

huynh. where are they? who is holding them and what happens next? >> well, sir, they're soldiers of fortune, and they were involved in the territory of ukraine. they were involved in firing and shelling our military personnel. they were endangering their life. and they should be responsible. they should be held responsible for those -- for those crimes. that they have committed. those crimes have to be investigated. you have in your place in your place, to ensure that the investigation under crimes is being completed. >> by russian authorities or by donetsk authorities? >> by authorities. >> are they prisoners of war? >> huh? >> are they prisoners of war? >> i wouldn't start explaining the judicial side of their capture. the only thing is clear, they've committed crimes. >> what are the crimes knife committed? so as you know, under the geneva conventions, in a conflict is not something that you can be tried for. so what are the crimes are you talking about? >> they are in not in the ukrainia

on pro russian channels appearing to show missing americans, andy huynh and alex drueke. cnn is choosing not to broadcast these videos because the men are under duress. it comes after this video was released yesterday. in the new videos, they are not in their truck. they appear to be detained at an unknown location and it is not clear who is detaining them. they had been fighting as volunteers with ukrainian forces north of kharkiv before they were captured. i'm going to speak to alex's mother in just a moment. right now, i want to go to sam kylie who was in kharkiv just miles way from where her son was last seen. he spoke with an american fighting with alex and andy just before they went missing. >> these two american fighters have their hands bound behind them. they're dressed in uniforms not their own and they may well have been captured by the very russians they've been fighting. this as far as it goes is good news for the comrade who last saw a t-72 tank open fire on his two friends. >> does that give you any kind of cause for hope? >> absolutely. absolutely. i wish

new video from russia-controlled media showing alex drueke and an andy huynh delivered from ukraine. drueke delivering a message to his mother. >> mom, i want to let you know that i'm alive and i hope to be back home as soon as i can be. >> the men, both from alabama, both veterans, went missing about a week ago. the third american missing is retired marine captain grady kirpai. his family hasn't heard from him since april. president biden saying he's been briefed on the situation. >> we don't know where they are, but i want to reiterate, americans should not be going to ukraine. >> the kremlin denies having any information about the americans. we'll continue to stay on top of this story. >>> we turn now to the new film showing a different side of the king, elvis presley. nearly a dozen actors have previously swiveled their hips to portray the rock 'n' roll icon, but elvis' own family says this latest iteration gets it just right. abc's chris connelly sat down with the presley family and the film's all-star cast at graceland. >> reporter: the world has seen plenty of performers go fr

this as the kremlin denies any knowledge of the americans' whereabouts. 27-year-old andy huynh was recorded delivering a pro-russian propaganda message presumably forced into doing so. abc news will not air the content of the message. the russian news outlet says the video was recorded a couple of days ago at a detention center in the donbas region. >> mom, i just want to let you know i'm alive, and i hope to be back home as soon as i can be. >> reporter: a state department spokesperson acknowledging the videos saying they are in contact with ukrainian authorities. despite being held captive, alexander drueke's aunt says she was happy seeing her nephew on video. >> we are excited to have confirmation that he is alive. >> reporter: president biden aware of the missing citizens, but also making clear that no americans should go to ukraine. >> i have been briefed. we don't know where they are, but i want to reiterate, americans should not be going to ukraine now. >> reporter: heavy russian shelling in the eastern city of lysychansk killing several civilians and cutting off this key highway. th

. >> reporter: the men, alexander drueke and andy huynh both from alabama were reportedly serving as volunteers with the ukrainian military. drueke's family says his platoon came under heavy fire fall back except for drueke and huynh. the state department saying it's aware of the unconfirmed reports. >> if it's true we'll do everything we can to get them safely back home. >> reporter: their families say the men traveled to ukraine in april not knowing each other but quickly became friends deeply believing in their mission to help ukraine. >> hy by, he couldn't eat, he couldn't sleep knowing that the people over there were suffering in such a way. he really felt he had to try go and help in some way. >> he really felt like he had a purpose and was very proud of what he was doing. he felt very honored to be accepted by the ukrainian people and he felt a responsibility to help them. >> reporter: back in april, huynh spoke on the phone to the abc station in huntsville, alabama, acknowledging the danger. >> i made peace with the decision. i know there is a potential of me dying. i'm willi

anything you would say to andy and alex? >> i would apologize, because they sort of followed me out here.gize i definitely feel a bit guilty. we should have taken a closer look at more humanitarian options or training options. they wouldn't be in the situation they're in. >> reporter: in the latest russian video, drueke says he's been repeatedly beaten and at one point the two were bound, blindfolded and forced on their, knees. drueke says he thought they would be executed.ced on earlier this month, a court in ukraine's separatist east sentenced a moroccan and two brits to death for fighting alongside ukraine, and today speaking to nbc news, vladimir putin's press secretary said drueke nd huynh would not be afforded the protections of the geneva convention. >> they're soldiers of fortune f involved in illegal activities on the territory of ukraine and they were involved in firing and shelling our military personnel. >> reporter: are american volunteers making a difference in this conflict? >> i would like to think so. people

andy huynh, a former marine, and alexander drueke, an iraq veteran, were volunteering and disappeared during a fierce battle near the border. the u.s. state department is looking into reports that russian or russian-backed separatists captured at least two american citizens. meanwhile, president biden announced that the u.s. is sending another $1 billion in military eight to ukraine. it includes anti-ship missile launchers, howitsers, and additional rounds for advanced rocket systems. >>> america's youngest kids could start receiving covid vaccine shots next week. the fda advisory panel recommended moderna's two-dose vaccine for children under the age of 6. and pfizer's three dose for kids under 5. each vaccine contains a fraction of an adult dose. the fda's vaccine chief says that there's been a troubling surge in young kids being hospitalized during the omicron wave. >> it's a population that has been much less affected than the older populations, particularly the oldest population, but one nonetheless has also been affected. >> the fda and cdc still have to authorize the shot, thou

huynh and alex drueke before they were captured. they surfaced on russian media in footage where drueke said he's been repeatedly beaten by his captors. did you ever consider that you might get captured? >> yes. once we were together, we had talked about it, yes. being in the hands of any enemy force, you are going to do what you have to do to stay alive. >> reporter: so you, andy, and alex all came here with your eyes wide open. >> maybe not wide open, but i think we like to think so. >> reporter: they didn't know each other when they came, but sharing a small tent quickly changed that, he says. >> they are the best. i have rarely made friends that quickly, that -- with that strong of a bond. where one went, the other two were close by. it was the three of us. >> reporter: all the more gutting when the two were captured leaving him to notify their loved ones. >> the first two phone calls letting them know that they were missing were without a doubt the hardest phone calls i've ever had to make in my life. listening to joy black, al

the other two are alex drueke and andy huynh. a new image circulating appears to show them in russian custody. >> if the russians were to claim that they had such individuals, i assume we would pursue that if we had reason to believe credible reason to believe that these individuals were in russian custody, we would pursue that as appropriate. >> drueke and huynh haven't been heard from for a week. >>> the third hearing by the january 6th committee laid out gripping details of the aordinan up the pressure on former vice president mike pence to overturn the election, and we learned just how dangerously close the violent mob of trump supporters came to the vice president. abc's faith abubey is live from washington. good morning, faith. >> reporter: good morning to you, mona. the january 6th committee has relied heavily on trump's inner circle and well-respected conservative republicans to make their case that trump unsuccessfully launched a damaging attack on u.s. democracy to illegally try to stay this power. the january th commit

video said to show alexander drueke and andy huynh, appearin on russian television this evening the men apparently captured by russian troops

. >> reporter: tonight, russian state tv releasing new video of alex drueke and andy huynh, the two u.s. veterans fighting for ukraine, but caught by russian proxies. drueke's family told abc news he has now spoken with the state department twice in recent days. >> they said that he sounded good, that he sounded relatively strong. >> reporter: the officials felt he was being treated humanely and that the russian-backed separatists holding him were looking to begin negotiations. meanwhile, the ukrainian ministry of defense has released this video -- the largest prisoner swap since the war began. 144 russian troops exchanged for 144 ukrainians, many of them badly injured. all this as russia steps up its rocket attacks in the country. video posted on social media shows a huge missile hitting this apartment building in mykolaiv, killing six people. alex drueke's family says the state department told them they will not negotiate with his captors. and that's because the breakaway region they control isn't recognized by anyone as a legal entity other than russia. david? >> all right, james lon

huynh, were fighting alongside the ukrainians and are now thought captured by russia. huynh spoke to our huntsville, alabama, affiliate by phone in april before he left. >> i've made peace with the decision. i know there's a potential of me dying. i'm willing to give my life for what i believe is right, for what i've been taught what is right. >> reporter: both men were last heard from a week ago. huynh's fiance telling abc news he felt called to help. >> he couldn't sit idly by. he couldn't eat, couldn't sleep, knowing that the people over there were suffering. >> reporter: and drueke's mother says he wanted to fight for democracy. >> he felt that he was best used by training soldiers and especially on the american equipment that's being sent over there. >> reporter: this as the leaders of france, germany, italy, and romania visited kyiv today. president zelenskyy saying, "russia wants to show that the european union is incapable of being effective and that european values cannot work to protect freedom. we can, and must, work together." >> so, let's get right to jame

her fiance, andy huynh, as well as alexander drueke, are still unknown. the family says winn did humanitarian work with church groups, while drueke trained ukrainians to fight. but both eventually wound up on the front lines. >> i'm really hoping we can get some answers and find out where andy and alex are and get them home. that's all i want is andy back. >> reporter: both men, from alabama, were fighting with a unit of foreign volunteers when something went wrong. his fellow soldiers called drueke's mother, bunny, to tell her the news. >> all but who had made it back and alex and andy were the two on who had not reported in yet. >> reporter: the kremlin has not confirmed their capture, but russian state media wasted no time discussing their punishment. based on the precedent, there will be a death sentence. "yes, there are no other options." an unthinkable fate for alex's mom. >> i'm not worried about him being in the russian hands-- not because of russia but because i know alex's character. he is brave. he is tough. he is well trained. there's part of

. >> reporter: alexander drueke and andy huynh, both of alabama, are reportedly being held in the donetsk region of eastern ukraine. also tonight, david, u.s. attorney general merrick garland was in ukraine today pledging u.s. help to investigate and prosecute those responsible for rl alleged war crimes and other atrocities in this war. david? >> all right, james longman, thank you. >>> and when we come back here, the dangerous heat wave from dallas to chicago. and in the east, severe storms set to move in, so rob standing by to take us through this. covid-19 moves fast, and now you can too by asking your healthcare provider if an oral treatment is right for you. oral treatments can be taken at home and must be taken within 5 days from when symptoms first appear. if you have symptoms of covid-19, even if they're mild don't wait, get tested quickly. if you test positive and are at high risk for severe disease, act fast ask if an oral treatment is right for you. covid-19 moves fast and now you can too. ♪♪ what do we want delivered every month? clumping litter? salmon pate? love that for

former marine corporal andy huynh believed to be under some duress, making a pro-russian statement. the video reportedly shot in a russian detention center in the donbas region in the east. another video of former army solider alexander drueke with a message for his mother. >> i'm alive. hope to be back home as soon as i can. love you. >> tonight, here, news on the third american, a former marine captain. james longman inside ukraine with late reporting tonight. >>> also as we come on the air, the severe storms hitting tonight across several states in the east. and what about father's day? we have that, and now another dangerous heat wave building. rob marciano standing by to take us through it all.

the men, alexander drueke and andy huynh, were serving as volunteers with a ukrainian army outfit. the u.s. state department saying they are aware of the unconfirmed reports and are closely monitoring the situation. >> if it's true, we will do everything we can to get them safely back home. >> reporter: the two men were said to be u.s. military veterans serving as volunteers with a ukrainian army unit. other westerners have been taken prisoner during this war, including two from the uk who were ensensed to death by russian-backed accept are cysts after they accused them of being mercenaries. this comes as president biden announced the biggest single u.s. military aid commitment to date after speaking with ukrainian president zelenskyy today. a billion dollars in new equipment, including howitzers, ambition nor rocket systems, and, for the first time, american harpoon anti-ship missile systems. and david, the u.s. has confirmed that the first 60 ukrainians have completed their training on those missile systems. they're expected to be here in the ukraine in the next two weeks. david?

the whereabouts of her fiancÉ, 27-year-old andy huynh, along with 39-year-old alexander drueke, are still unknown. their families say huynh initially did humanitarian work with church groups, while drueke was training ukrainians to fight. but both eventually wound up on the front lines. >> i'm really hoping that we can get some answers and find out where andy and alex are and get them home. that's all i want, is andy back. >> reporter: both men, from alabama, were fighting with a unit of foreign volunteers, when something went wrong. his fellow soldiers called drueke's mom, bunny, to tell her the news. >> all but two of the people had made it back, and alex and andy were the two who had not reported in yet. >> reporter: the kremlin has not confirmed their capture, but russian state media wasted no time discussing their punishment. "based on the precedent, there will be a death sentence," the presenter asks this law-maker. "yes, there are no other options." an unthinkable fate for alex's mom. >> i'm not worried about him being in the russian hands-- not because of russia, but because i kno

service he was in the battle as alexander drueke and andy huynh when they went missing. he fears reprisals and wants his identity and voice hidden he uses the code name pip. but he described what happened on june the 9th. >> the team was sent out on a mission on the 9th. and a full-scaled russian armored assault was under way, a defense was sent up, two anti-tank lines were set up. a t-72 then turned and fired on them, drove a few more meters forward and hit the anti-tank mine our officer had placed. we suspect they were knocked out by the t-72 tank shooting at them or the blast of the mine. >> reporter: so far russian officials have denied any knowledge of the missing americans. two britains were recently sentenced to death on charges of being mercenaries by a so-called court in the russian backed rebel area of ukraine that calls its the donetsk people's republic. >> as far as i'm aware we're paid the same as the ukrainian soldier on the front and money is certainly not my motivation for being here and it's not andy's and alex's either. >> reporter: ukraine has been app

their names, alexander drueke and andy huynh. their family say they haven't heard from them since last week for the platoon came under fire. the families fear russian forces may have captured them. a state department spokesman says they don't have credible evidence to control that still, the agency is monitoring the situation and officials are in contact with ukrainian authorities. the state department reported that a third american may also be missing in ukraine. agency spokesman said they don't have full details of that case and can't confirm it. >>> the leaders of france, germany, italy and romania visited kyiv. they met with ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy. the leaders give their full support for ukraine's state to join the european union. a top russian official slammed the meeting. dmitri mejia of, the former russian president, mocked the leaders of france, germany and italy as connoisseurs of frogs, liverwurst, and posta. his bizarre rant as russian forces continue their onslaught in east ukraine. atop ukrainian off

he and other veterans, andy huynh, travel from alabama to ukraine to fight against russian forces. she said that local media reports that her son may have been captured but can't confirm those details. alexander joined the army after 9/11 and served two tours in iraq. in an interview with the today show, she is opening up about his decision to go to ukraine to fight. >> he said, mom, i have to go to help train those soldiers so that putin cannot get the confidence that he can just roll over ukraine and other countries because eventually he will tackle us. >> our nbc news team reached out to the state department on the ground overnight and they say it's aware of the report of missing soldiers but is still working to learn more. you can watch the full interview on the today show coming up at 7:00 after us here on today in the bay. >>> scientists at uc san diego are revealing new research surrounding long-term impacts of covid. the data says coronavirus can keep the brain feeling cloudy for at least a half year after infection. most of the patients in the study reported fatigue and he

the fiancee of andy huynh, missing in ukraine, spoke with molly hunter about when she got the call he was missing. >> he told me how during an operation they got separated and that andy and alex did not make their rendezvous point. >> what did you do? >> my mom has this big pillow on her bed and i fell on it and cried into it a lot. >> joining us now from ukraine is nbc correspondent ellison barber, what can you tell us about the missing americans? >> reporter: yeah. as you heard from their families through molly hunter's reporting, they are very worried about their whereabouts. the state department right now says they are aware of unconfirmed reports that two americans were captured in ukraine. a spokesperson for the agency says they are in touch with ukrainian authorities, the international red cross, as well as the families of the missing men, but they say they have not reached out to the russian federation in part because they say they have not seen any sort of concrete evidence from russian force claiming to have the men in their custody. initially this all came to light after a

andy huynh and alexander drueke are being held by russian-backed separate 'tiss. he claims they are mercenaries and not subject to laws of the geneva convention. >> they were involved in firing and shelling our military personnel. they were endangering their life and they should be responsible. they should be held responsible for those -- for those crimes. >> reporter: now from the very beginning the state department has said again and again no americans should be coming here to fight. the threat of death or being captured is just too real. robin? >> it truly is. james, thank you so much. >>> we're going to turn now to the growing concerns about a recession after wall street's worst week in more than two years. so we're going to go back to our chief business correspondent rebecca jarvis and, rebecca, to fight inflation as we talked about earlier president biden possibly taking action on gas prices. >> he is, robin. there are three big drivers of the anxiety that we're seeing now on wall street -- inflation, the fed and fears of a recession, and the one thing that

. >> reporter: now this photo from a russian blogger has emerged of alexander drueke and andy huynh appearing to be bound in the back of a russian military vehicle. video later emerging of an interview they did with pro-russian media. cnn is not showing the video as the two appear to be speaking under duress. now the sate department is working to verify their status. >> they said that there is a photograph that is being circulated on the russian media, and they're working hard to verify it. we're very hopeful. >> retired staff sergeant drueke, an army reservist from 2002 to 2014 served in kuwait and iraq. drueke's mother bunny tells cnn his son wanted to lend his skills to train those who were coming to ukraine to fight. >> he felt that if putin wasn't stopped now, he would just become bolder with every success and that eventually he might end up on american shores. >> former marine corporal huynh served in the marine corps from 2014 to 2018, last serving in camp pendleton, california. his fiancee joy black described to cnn the last time she heard from him. >> he told me he loved me very much

veterans andy huynh and alex drueke appearing in captivity. nbc news is not showing the video. according to their families, they went missing more than a week ago near the eastern city of kharkiv where they were voluntarily fighting alongside ukrainian troops. after the video surfaced, joy black said in a statement, they're americans, we want them home, nothing else matters right now. the state department has not commented on the video or confirmed the names of the three americans. according to his family, the third american also a u.s. vet is grady kerpaz, in regular touch until the end of april. >> everything seemed to be good. he was in good spirits. he was super happy. he felt like he was doing the right thing. >> reporter: kerpaz's family believes he's still alive. >> we want to have an answer for the family. that's our mission is find out where grady is. we do believe that there's a good possibility he's a p.o.w. right now. >> reporter: detaining prisoners of war is legal. they can be held until the end of the conflict, but they must be treated in line with international

the kremlin spokesperson claiming alexander drueke and andy huynh are soldiers of fortune and not protected by the rules governing prisoners of war. dimitri peskov saying this when asked if they would be spared the death sentence. >> i cannot guarantee anything. it depends on the investigation. >> their families tell cnn both men were fighting in the ukrainian army. >> andy and alex are not mercenaries. they are not soldiers of fortune. they are a part of the ukrainian military. and they are a part of the military, meaning that they are prisoners of war, and they should be treated as such under the geneva convention. >> we have both publicly as well as privately called on the russian government and its proxies to live up to their international obligations in their treatment of all individuals, including those captured fighting in ukraine. >> one american still wrongfully detained in russian prison is wnba star brittney griner. this week, her wife expressed deep frustration with the biden administration after britney tried to call her 11 times on their anniversary saturday. the call had been

the other president we are looking at who "the new york times" reports is andy huynh, a 27-year-old former marine. they were both volunteers, as you mentioned. they were both fighting in eastern ukraine near kharkiv is what we know. we don't know what unit or what exactly what happened to them. i do want to share with you what lois told us. she heard from her son, alex, by text message on april 18th and she got a message from a friend saying alex had gone missing. take a listen to lois. >> he wrote and said, i'll be going dark tomorrow and possibly the next day. and i wrote back, stay safe, and i love you. and he wrote back -- i'm sorry. he wrote back, i love you, too. >> reporter: a heartbreaking to hear from her, jose. she doesn't have any more answers. the state department says they are monitoring it very closely. they have seen the unconfirmed reports. they cannot confirm the two men's names and say due to privacy, they have no further comment. one other thing we're wondering about, were they part of the foreign legion? do they have military ids? that will change their status depending

he is andy tai ngoc huynh's fiancÉe. i can only imagine how hard this is for you. i know you spoke with anderson on wednesday. have you learned anything new about your fiance, his location, his condition since then? >> nothing really official that we can give out. obviously probably seen in the media, there's various -- there's pictures but nothing official from the state department. >> what have you heard, if anything, from the state department or the u.s. embassy in ukraine? >> they're trying really hard. they've assured us multiple times that they're doing everything they can to get to the bottom of this. and they're working really hard at this. and we couldn't appreciate it more that they're taking this really seriously. >> can you talk more about his military experience or knowledge he acquired in the marines and how he hoped to help the ukrainians? did he go intending to fight on the front lines? >> he did not go intending to fight. he -- once he had decided he was definitely going to go, he just knew that he wanted to help any way that he could, whether it w

army staff sergeant and 27-year-old andy huynh, a former marine say both men went missing last thursday. the state department now confirming their names now saying unconfirmed reports that three americans are now missing in action. citing his wife, the "washington post" reports, the third american is former marine corps officer grady kurpasi, huynh's fiance thought there was something wrong last weekend. >> at what point did something feel off? >> i got an inkling in my head on friday. >> he told me during the operation they got separated and that andy and alex did not make their meeting point. >> what did you do then? >> kind of fell and cried a lot. >> and while some americans d c two days >> reporter: while americans fighting in the city of kharkiv are part of the foreign legion, others like zach harrison who moved to kyiv a few years ago, said he joined the ukrainian military directly. >> there is a force of evil attacking my home and i don't know what their actual status was, i'm sure that the russians are going to call them mercenaries so i'm certainly worried for them i'm not so

. >> reporter: now this photo from a russian blogger has emerged of alexander drueke and andy tai huynh. video later emerging of an interview they did with pro-russian media. cnn is not showing the video as the two appear to be speaking under duress. now the state department is working to verify their status. >> they said that the photograph that is circulated on the russian media, and they're working hard to verify it. we're very hopeful. >> reporter: retired staff sergeant drueke, an army reservist from 2002 to 2014 served in beth kuwait and iraq. drueke's mother bunny tells cnn her son wanted to lend his skills to train those who were coming to ukraine to fight. >> he felt if putin wasn't stopped now, he would just become bolder with every success, and that eventually he might end up on american shores. >> reporter: former marine cor corporal huynh served in the marine corps last serving in camp pendleton, california. huynh's fiancee joy black described the last time she heard from him. >> he told me that he loved me very much and help would be unavailable for two to three days. he r

this morning, two american veterans, alex drueke and andy huynh. >> they were taking part in battlefield activities they will get punished they should be punished. they have committed crimes. >> what crimes >> we don't know yet >> but you know very well this has the potential to escalate tensions with the u.s. >> they are treated properly but you have to understand those guys on the battlefield were firing at euro military guys they were endangering their lives. >> two fighters sentenced to >> two fighters sentenced to deat can you guarantee these americans will not face the same fate >> no i cannot guarantee anything it depends on the investigation. >> there is a third american missing. do you have any news of that >> no. i don't have any information about that. >> reporter: and we asked prospect's spokesman about other americans jailed in russia paul whelan sentenced to 16 years for spying, allegations he dies and wnba star brittney griner arrested at the airport in february accused of carrying a vapor pen with hashish oil. >> is brittney griner a hostage? is paul whelan a hostage are

huynh both volunteered to fight alongside the ukrainian military. there are now unconfirmed reports the two may have been captured by russian forces in the kharkiv region. the biden administration says they're aware of those reports and are closely monitoring the situation. >> if it's true we'll do everything we can to get them safely back home. >> reporter: now their families just want them home. huynh's fiancee telling abc news he joined the ukrainians to make a difference. >> we just really want him back. i mean, he's got such a big heart. he knew this wasn't the easy th thing, but it was the right thing. and -- sorry. he just -- even though not great things have happened, i'm still really, really proud of him. >> reporter: alex's mother said he went to ukraine to stop russia. he was concerned that putin may want to expand further west if he took ukraine. >> he wanted to go over and help train the ukrainian soldiers and show them how to use the equipment that the u.s. has been sending over there for them. >> reporter: this comes as president bide

and overnight the families of alex drueke and andy huynh, the two americans captured by russian forces in ukraine, speaking out after these images were released to the world. >> i chose to take it as an encouraging sign and to stay positive. >> reporter: both are now being held by russian proxies, but their exact location is unknown. in the video both give pro-russia statements presumably forced to do so. for andy's fiancee, just seeing images of him giving her hope. >> it's hard to describe the feeling exactly. i was just really glad to see him, i guess, and hear him. that was encouraging to at least get to see more recent like video of him. >> reporter: alex's mother says she spoke to her son for the first time since his capture. he called her late tuesday night. >> it was obvious that there were two things going on. one, i could tell when he was telling me something that was scripted and then the other things that he was saying was just a regular conversation, just this ordinary conversation that mothers really treasure. >> reporter: this, as ukraine and russia agree to the largest

. >> reporter: the two americans, 39-year-old alex drueke and 27-year-old andy huynh volunteered to fight alongside the ukrainians and went missing outside of kharkiv days ago. their families now desperate for answers. >> we get stressful because we don't have answers at the moment. waiting is always very hard. but we are encouraged. >> reporter: now the u.s. is looking into reports that a third american who volunteered to fight for ukraine may have also been captured. >> similarly our understanding was that this individual had traveled to ukraine to take up arms. >> reporter: this comes as leaders from france, germany, italy, and romania all arrived in ukraine in a show of solidarity. they met with president zelenskyy. in a joint press conference, zelenskyy said it would take an international effort to stop putin's war. only connectively and united will it be a powerful force to stop them. >> reporter: in that spirit of unity the european union's executive arm has said they'll put forward ukraine as a candidate for membership of the european union. >> thank you, as always. amy. >>> now t

russian television broadcasted two americans fighting in ukraine, alex drueke and andy huynh. where are they, and what happens next? >> they were involved in illegal activities on the territory of ukraine. they were involved in firing and shelling our military personnel. they were endangering their life. they should be held responsible for those crimes that they have committed. >> reporter: in an exclusive interview, i asked kremlin spokesman demetri peskov about the nationals and rebels in ukraine, now sentenced to death. can you guarantee these americans will not face the sme fate. >> i cannot agree to anything. it depends on the investigation. >> reporter: we asked about wnba star brittney griner, detained at the airport in february, accused of carrying hashish oil. she was taking sport in russia, trying to build bridges through sport. it is a terrible message, isn't it, that she should be arrested? >> it is also a terrible message to bring some forbidden essences and materials to this country, and it is prosecuted by russian laws. >> reporter: the special envoy for hostile