New video shows two Alabamians who have been missing for more than a week while fighting for Ukraine, now in the hands of Russia.
This comes less than 24 hours after a Russian blogger leaked a photo that appears to show Andy Huynh of Trinity and Alexander Drueke from Tuscaloosa tied up in the back of a Russian military truck.
However, the State Department has yet to verify the photo or the new video.
Huynh's fiancée, Joy Black, is waiting for that confirmation from the U.S. Department of State, but she said if the videos are real, they give her hope that Huynh is alive and well.
The newly released video from a Russian state-controlled media outlet shows Huynh delivering a pro-Russian statement, primarily saying he fell victim to Western propaganda about Ukraine. Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é has decided not to share the audio as we do not know if Huynh's words come authentically or under duress.
Black didn't comment on what Huynh said. She said seeing the video gives her hope that her fiancée could soon return home to Alabama.
"If it is real, then it's hope. It's not bad. You know, it's hope, because they look good, they look uninjured, they look pretty healthy, and it's just proof that they're OK and they're alive," she said.
In another newly released video, Alexander Drueke can be heard addressing his mother, saying, "I hope to be back home as soon as I can."
If the videos are real, Black said, it's a blessing that the two Alabamians are still together.
"It really means a lot, because it means that they have support with each other. I know how much Andy — how much he really cares about Alex, and I know how close they've become while over there," said Black.Ìý"They've become such tight friends, such good friends, and I know that they thought of each other like brothers."
While she waits to learn if the videos are real, she asks for prayers for both Huynh and Drueke.
Black's family has been working closely with Congressman Robert Aderholt ever since the two veterans went missing last week. Aderholt said while the videos have yet to be verified, if they are accurate, he's happy the two men are safe.
"At this point, we got no confirmation from the State Department that those are actual, but obviously, they look like them and one can assume that it is. The good thing about if it is them, indeed, that they are alive and well, and that, unfortunately, they have been captured if these are authentic," said Aderholt.
He is working with the men's families to make sure there is open communication between them and the U.S. Department of State as department officials work to confirm the authenticity of the videos.
