Andy Huynh and Alex Drueke arrive in New York.
Andy Huang (left) and Alex Drucker (center) of American Airlines arrived at the Universal Airlines Hotel in New York on Friday, September 23, 2022. (AP Photo/Andres Kudaki)
NEW YORK — Two U.S. veterans disappeared three months ago while fighting the Ukrainian army. They arrived at New York John Kennedy International Airport on Friday as part of prisoner exchange after being released by Russian-backed separatists.
"We look forward to spending time with our family and we will be in touch with the media soon," Alex Drueke said after arriving at the airport with Andy Huynh around noon. "I'm happy to go home."
On June 9, Drueke, 40, and Huynh, 27, disappeared on June 9 in the Kharkov area in northeastern Ukraine near the Russian border. They traveled alone to Ukraine and stayed in touch in their shared hometown.
Their family announced their release Wednesday in a joint statement issued by Drueke’s aunt Dianna Shaw.
Saudi Arabia facilitated the approval of their release. The Saudi embassy issued a statement on Wednesday saying that this helps ensure the release of 10 prisoners from Morocco , the United States, the United Kingdom, Swedish and Croatia . Shaw confirmed Drueke and Huynh were part of the organization.
Drueke and Huynh Fly from Saudi Arabia to New York. Drucker's mother and Huang's fiancé will fly to New York to meet the men later Friday, and the four will head to Alabama on Saturday, Shaw said in an email.
