Russia attacks Ukraine: 2 US citizens die in Donbas region

Two American citizens recently died in the Donbas region of Ukraine, State Department officials confirmed Saturday.

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State Department officials did not reveal the identities of the people killed or any other information, NBC News reported.

“We can confirm the recent deaths of two U.S. citizens in the Donbas region of Ukraine,” a State Department spokesperson said in a statement. “We are in touch with the families and providing all possible consular assistance.

“Out of respect to the families during this difficult time, we have nothing further.”

Two Americans, Alexander Drueke and Andy Hunyh, were captured by Russian forces while fighting in Ukraine, CNN reported.

The State Department spokesperson told CNN that agency officials “have been in contact with the Ukrainian and Russian authorities regarding U.S. citizens who may have been captured by Russia’s forces or proxies while fighting in Ukraine.”

“We call on Russia to live up to its international obligations to treat all individuals captured fighting with Ukraine’s armed forces as prisoners of war,” the spokesperson said.

At least three other U.S. citizens have died since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, NBC News reported. Two of them were killed during combat.

Former U.S. Marine Willy Joseph Cancel, 22, was killed in April after agreeing to go to Ukraine as part of his work with a private military contracting company, members of his family confirmed to CNN.

Stephen Zabielski, 52, of Hernando, Florida, was killed in May while fighting in the village of Dorozhniank, WTSP-TV reported.

According to NPR, Jim Hill of Idaho, who had been living in Kyiv, was also killed in March while waiting in a breadline in Chernihiv, his sister, Cheryl Hill Gordon, wrote in a Facebook post.

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