The DPR, a self-declared separatist region backed by Russia, said it had informed US officials and the head of the UN human rights monitoring mission and “we confirm our readiness to hand over his remains to his relatives for burial”. in Morozova. “I want to reiterate that mercenaries are not considered combatants and international humanitarian laws do not apply in their cases. These individuals are denied any immunity during combat,” he said. “I strongly advise any foreign nationals who came to Ukraine with militaristic purposes to immediately leave the territory of that country. Otherwise no one will be held responsible for their lives and safety.” While the Russian media published the name of this American, the State Department did not release his identity. “We can confirm the death of an American citizen in Ukraine,” a State Department spokesman said. “Out of respect for the family’s privacy, we have no further comment at this time,” the spokesman added. This is at least the third US citizen to die in the invasion. Stephen Zabierslki was killed in May and Marine Corps veteran Willy Cancel in April. Two American volunteers fighting for Ukraine have been detained by Russian-backed separatists in Donetsk. US citizens Alexander John-Robert Drueke, 39, of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and Andy Tai Ngoc Huynh, 27, of Hartselle, Alabama, were fighting alongside Ukrainian forces north of Kharkiv before they were captured. CNN reported that a third American Marine veteran Grady Kurpasi is missing in action. The last time his wife and close friends had heard from Kurpasi was in April. He chose to volunteer alongside Ukrainians in Ukraine, but initially didn’t imagine he would be fighting on the front lines, a family friend told CNN. In June, a DRC court also sentenced two British citizens and a Moroccan national to death after accusing them of being “mercenaries for Ukraine,” state media RIA Novosti reported at the time. Aiden Aslin, Shaun Pinner and Brahim Saadoune were foreign fighters captured in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol by Russian forces in April. Pinner’s family later said they were “devastated” that he “should be granted all the rights of a prisoner of war” under the Geneva Conventions. A month later, two more Britons were charged as “mercenaries”, the News Agency reported. of Donetsk in H ora. Russia is the only country that considers the GDR independent. The international community does not recognize the region and its institutions and considers the territory to be part of Ukraine. Independent watchdog groups have long accused the separatists of a dismal human rights record and mistreatment of prisoners. CNN’s Ivana Kottasová, Oleksandra Ochman, Jonny Hallam, Uliana Pavlova, Anna Chernova, Sharon Braithwaite, Jorge Engels, Josh Pennington and Arnaud Siad contributed reporting to this story.
