There have been two American deaths in the bloody battle in Ukraine.
Bryan Young and Luke Lucyszyn, both 31 years old, were slain last Monday in the Donbas, the scene of months of ferocious shelling by Putin’s forces.
The two were slain after an hour-long battle on the Donetsk frontline when a Russian tank opened fire.
Along with them, Canadians Emile-Antoine Roy-Sirois and Edvard Selander Patrignani were also killed.
According to Kathy Lucyszyn, the US State Department informed her of her son Luke’s passing.
Ruslan Miroshnichenko, the commander of Ukraine, also mentioned the two people whose demise the State Department confirmed on Friday but failed to identify.
Longtime friend of Lucyszyn, commonly known as Skywalker, Corey Mesimer, 29, of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, claimed that the fighter was inspired to take on Russia since his grandmother was born in Ukraine.
He said to the New York Times that he felt strongly about doing it and that it was something he needed to do.
He believed that it was something he had to do for the nation of Ukraine, even when we spoke to him when he was over there.
They had previously been teammates on the same Myrtle Beach paintball squad, according to Mesimer, who called his friend the “life of the party.”
Mesimer claimed that Lucyszyn had no prior military training, which worried several of his friends.
Nevertheless, he would frequently message them on WhatsApp to inform them of the intense bombardment and scarce supplies they were facing.
On July 8, during their last discussion, Lucyszyn said, “I’ll be okay.”
Then Mesimer said, “Just glad you’re okay dude. Stay secure.
The guys were members of a special operations unit that was stationed close to Siversk as part of the Territorial Defense of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
They were sent two miles away, to the village of Hryhorivka, and given orders to clear a ravine and take up positions for firing.
According to Miroshnichenko, “They did it successfully.”
But Russian tanks attacked them at the end of the mission.
Luke was hurt by the initial shell. Edward, Emile, and Bryan, three males, made a swift effort to assist Luke, administer CPR, and get him out of this situation.
The second shell afterwards killed everyone.
Young was referred to by Miroshnichenko as a “military man” who was injured during a mission and transferred to the reserves.
Because he “signed an oath to preserve the Free World,” the American citizen made the decision to travel to Ukraine.
The commander wrote: “It hurts so hard to lose the boys” in a tribute on Facebook.
There are too many emotions going on for me to write the post that would do them justice right now.
“I just want to emphasise, they weren’t hiding, but they looked for every chance to help, they all fully volunteered, and they completed their combat duty on the front line to the very end,” the speaker said. calmly and honourably.
At least two more Americans have died in defending Ukraine, and two more are believed to be held captive by Russia and facing execution.
52-year-old Stephen Zabielski was killed in May in Dorozhnyanka, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, after walking on a landmine.
The father of five was walking through dense undergrowth in the dense fog when he unintentionally trod on a tripwire.
At the time, he was engaged in a mine-clearing mission.
Young Ukrainian fighters were drawn to Zabielski because of his US Army background, according to a friend who mentioned it at the time on Facebook.
He was worried that, given our age, he wouldn’t be welcomed, but his background made him the exception.
We both understood we had a responsibility given our values, despite our age.
Steve stayed in Ukraine and sacrificed his life for the country’s independence. He died as a result of a landmine.
As the son of Polish Americans, he was familiar with and appreciated sacrifice.
Willy Joseph Cancel, a 22-year-old veteran of the US Marine Corps, was slain in April before his passing. It’s unclear how he passed away.
Cancel was employed by a private military contractor.
Additionally, two Americans are currently being held hostage by Russians: Andy Huynh, 27, and Alexander Drueke, 39, both of Alabama.
On June 11, after they failed to show up at a designated meeting place after their group came under intense fire in the Kharkiv region of northeastern Ukraine close to the Russian border, they were apprehended by Russian forces.
Since their capture, Russia has released a number of videos featuring the two troops.
The men now appear less afraid than they did in earlier videos.
Despite having made separate trips to aid Ukraine, Drueke and Huynh grew close there in part due to their shared Alabama heritage, according to family members.
The US State Department stated that it was looking into rumours that at least two Americans had been kidnapped in Ukraine by rebel troops backed by Russia.
Upon confirmation, they would be the first Americans known to have been taken prisoner since the conflict started on February 24.
Lois “Bunny” Drueke, Drueke’s mother, called her son last month for ten minutes from Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
Bunny asserted that she thought some of the dialogue did not seem to be coming from him directly.
It was evident that two things were occurring, she said in an interview with Good Morning America (GMA).
One, I could tell when he was giving me a rehearsed response.
The other things he was saying, though, were just normal, everyday talks that mothers actually value.
The Kremlin had threatened Drueke, a former US Marine, and Huynh, a former US Army veteran, that they risked being executed for being what it referred to as “soldiers of fortune.”
The Kremlin claimed that because the guys hadn’t joined in the foreign force they were fighting with, they were ineligible for the privileges granted to prisoners of war taken prisoner by adversaries.