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Kiev thinks swap of two apprehended US mercenaries possible – newspaper

According to the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, this can happen within "a few months"

WASHINGTON, June 26. /TASS/. Kiev thinks that it is possible to conduct a relatively swift exchange of detained American mercenaries who went to fight in Ukraine, Ukraine’s Military Intelligence Chief Kirill Budanov said in an interview with USA Today published on Saturday.

According to him, 39-year-old Alexander Drueke and 27-year-old Andy Huynh captured by Russia's military will likely be released within "a few months" in a prisoner swap.

The White House and the US Department of State have not yet responded to a request for a comment by TASS.

Earlier, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists that the Americans apprehended in Ukraine were accused of mercenarism therefore "the scope of the Geneva Convention does not and cannot involve them." The Kremlin official noted that their actions "should be investigated and they should be brought to justice." That said, he didn’t rule out that the captured Americans may receive the death penalty in the DPR.

Last week, the UK’s Daily Telegraph reported that two former US servicemen were captured near Kharkov. On June 16, the US Department of State said the United States was ready for contacts with Russia regarding the American citizens detained near Kharkov who came to Ukraine to participate in combat. The US diplomatic agency reiterated its strong recommendations to American citizens not to visit Ukraine.

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