Russia won't rule out killing captured US ex-soldiers in Ukraine after sentencing Brits

dailystar.co.uk:

Ukraine to help with the war effort after two Brits were sentenced to death.US citizens Alexander Drueke and Andy Huynh - who are ex-army and ex-marines, respectively - ran into trouble after being separated from Ukrainian troops near Kharkiv, after which they were spotted and picked up by a Russian patrol.Now both face the possibility of being put to death, with a Kremlin spokesperson calling them "soldiers of fortune" who, pending the results of an investigation, "should be punished." According to Russian state broadcaster RT, both Americans are currently in the custody of Russian-backed separatists in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, reports The Independent.In a video aired by the channel Alexander Drueke can reportedly be heard to say, "Mom, I just want to let you know that I’m alive and I hope to be back home as soon as I can be."Lois Drueke, Alexander Drueke’s mother, said that seeing the video gave her some hope that her son would be okay and may return home.“Just seeing him move, just hearing his voice, gives us great hope," she said. "I don’t want to get my hopes up too much, but it does seem to be him."A fellow American who apparently fought alongside the two men said they realised what they were getting into."We knew that by going over there that little to no protections would be extended to us and that the US Government would be powerless to help," said the soldier, who wished to remain anonymous.It's understood that the US State Department is investigating the case of the two men, though it has yet to publicly confirm their capture.Speaking to NBC News yesterday, Dmitry Peskov - who is the spokesperson for Russian president Vladimir Putin - said the Russian government couldn’t guarantee what would.