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This week SouthFront published the appeals and stories of US mercenaries Alexander Drueke and Andy Huynh, who were captured in the Kharkiv region of Ukraine in June 2022. LINK, LINK
At the same time, the US media began to raise the question of what are the options of returning US citizens to their homeland. Apparently, given all the circumstances of Alexander Drueke’s and Andy Huynh’s detention, this is only possible through an exchange procedure.
US officials say they are in constant contact with their Ukrainian counterparts and are making every effort to include the mercenaries on the exchange list. Previously, the warring sides had already exchanged prisoners of war on several occasions. However, from the point of view of Russia and the DPR, these individuals do not have the status of prisoners of war because they are citizens of a third country who took part in the conflict for fees. In other words, they are considered criminals who are accused of committing a number of crimes against citizens of Russia and the DPR.
In particular, they have been charged under Article 430 of the DPR Criminal Code. This article is identical to Article 359 of the Russian Criminal Code.
Under Article 430 of the Criminal Code of the DPR and Article 359 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, a mercenary is a person acting for the purpose of material reward who is not a citizen of a state participating in an armed conflict or hostilities, does not reside permanently in its territory, and has not been sent to perform official duties.
An important fact is that legal actions against detainees are carried out by DPR law enforcement agencies, not Russians. Apparently, this is due to the fact that in July 2022, the DPR authorities lifted the ban on the death penalty as a capital punishment. Previously, the other 3 foreign mercenaries (Shaun Pinner, Aidan Aslin, and Saadoun Brahim) had already been sentenced to death and are awaiting execution. The only chance for these convicts to stay alive was the act of pardon by the head of the DPR, Denis Pushylin.
Click to see full-size image
It is likely that a similar sentence will be passed on Alexander Drueke and Andy Huynh.
An exchange of mercenaries for DPR or Russian military personnel seems hardly probable due to their legal status. Does this mean that the Americans’ fate is sealed? Definitely not. There are procedures of political exchange of convicts, which have happened many times before between the USA and the Russian Federation (USSR). The last case took place on April 27, 2022, when US citizen Trevor Raudi Reed, who had been previously convicted in the Russian Federation, was exchanged for Russian citizen Konstantin Yaroshenko, who had been convicted in the US. Legally, the procedure was formalised through acts of pardon.
Thus, it is possible for US citizens to avoid the death penalty and return home. There are about 400 Russian nationals in US prisons, a significant part of whom are convicted on political grounds. Perhaps the most striking example is Viktor Bout, who has already served half of his sentence in a US prison.
However, there are several pitfalls to the political dialogue on prisoner exchanges.
Firstly, there are not even indirect contacts between the US and the DPR. It is hard to imagine that Washington will go for even unofficial contacts with Donetsk for the sake of individual citizens, as this would mean recognizing the DPR as an actor in international relations.
Contacts along the US-Ukrainian-Russian-DPR line appear to be of little use. As written above, Alexander Drueke and Andy Huynh do not have POW status. An exchange would be possible through the Ukrainian side if the POWs were officially members of the US army, were in Ukraine as instructors under a US-Ukrainian agreement and of course were not directly involved in hostilities. The latter condition is mandatory, as the US does not recognise itself as a party to the Ukrainian conflict.
This leaves the US-Russia-DPR channel as the most effective. On this path, the main obstacle will be the public opinion of the DPR residents. During 8 years of Kiev aggression, almost every inhabitant of the republic has lost their relatives or close ones. People in the DPR are eager for revenge. In order for the exchange to take place, the leadership of the republic will need very convincing arguments as to why foreign mercenaries sentenced to death or long prison terms have been pardoned and handed over to the Russian side for further exchange.
However, there are signals that Russia and part of the DPR leadership are still open to talks with the US. The success of the talks will entirely depend on the political will of Washington. On what price the American establishment is ready to pay to demonstrate to its population its commitment to the principle of protecting its citizens abroad in every possible way. For now, unfortunately for the captives, Biden has not thought of anything better to do than to announce some kind of new sanctions against those involved in holding US citizens captive. How the “sanctions” are supposed to help the Americans return home, the oldest US president did not say. The situation is also complicated by the emerging information that US official structures, in particular USAID through intermediaries, are behind the recruitment and organization of US mercenaries trafficking into Ukraine.
Yes, in exchange for some common sense and civilized behavior.
Swap is possible in my humble opinion but the first condition to initiate a formal contact is for the US & UK to recognize DPR & LPR as sovereign states as counterparts in the negotiations, so a swap could then take place between the filthy criminals with no less than Julian Assange to join Edward Snowden in Moscow.
Allow me to repeat what I’ve been saying all along that Putin should publicly make an official communique directly addressed to British monarchy and government making an offer to exchange the two captive brits mercenaries in exchange for Julian Assange freedom, As a natural reaction the anxious families of the mercenaries will start pleading the government to agree to such offer that would soon expectedly find the British population behind the the cause to save the two brits from death sentence, that would spontaneously put the government in a hard pressed position resisting the massive public outcry to accept Putin’s offer
… Basically creating a serious national crisis following large public rallies and demonstrations in central London demanding acceptance of Putin’s goodwill offer. Soon the bigwigs of the government will find themselves divided on how to deal with chaos in the midst of lacking effective leadership at downing street. Moscow would be in jubilation watching the clowns in Parliament in panic.
It’s nice that you believe the general public would hold large rallies for Assange. There will be none as everyone is simply too busy to keep a roof over their heads and their stomachs full.
Anything is possible considering the oligarch government in Moscow just signed a deal agreeing not to take Odessa.
Alguna prueba de lo que dices?
We will take Odessa without a fight and destruction like the Crimea. And it’s still early!
So You can be Mrs wet T-shit.
You are “Mrs” wet Trans T-shirt in Aarhus gay brothel for Yankee LGBT marines you dumb danish tranny hooker.
tranny sperm best in Denmark
Exactly what I think will happen as well. Putin is not going to let the Kiev junta keep Odessa. As a matter of fact the total liberation of Novorussia is still on, which then also includes the liberation of the Grand Old Lady of the Black Sea. Everything comes to he who waits, and nobody can play the waiting game better than the Russian president.
Do me a favor though. On your way in, drive a a few dozen naziukrops into a building and set it on fire, then beat the ones to death that managed to jump out of windows. You know, just to set Odessa a bit more back in balance.
And never forget, vengeance is a dish best served hot.
Please Iren, will you remind me the email add of kremlin or Putin.
Make Julian Assange part of an exchange program.
It’s a serius possibility. But this should be suggested by a third party
Exchanged? Hell no. It will only encourage others. They were so eager to kill Ruskies a few weeks ago and now they sing Russian anthem?! Screw them.
Make them an example for others.
Its good propaganda.
why u so stupid?
If it’s Vlad Putin in the “Fifth Column” front office that has been on the fence since his “rebuilding of Tartus” facility and allowing Eastern Luhansk and Donetsk militia(s) to fend for themselves the past 8 years until literally 5 months ago… Then… Yeah I’d say he’s more than capable of not setting (https://halturnerradioshow.com/index.php/en/news-page/world/reports-u-s-admiral-surrenders-to-russia-in-mariupol-ukraine) a critical example at the right place or the right time to remain in the UN whore h0u$e at his country’s expense!…
Exactly, for eight years they should have been building concrete ammo depots and fortifications.
Claro que sí, en vez de estar dándose por el culo entre ukronazis e ingleses
Kill’em all
Kill them all and let Bandera sort them out!
Translation: The Russian army regularly strikes targets in Ukraine with quasi-ballistic, aeroballistic or cruise missiles of operational-tactical, medium and long range, sea, land and air based. The enemy is still waiting for them to run out, but this will never happen – the industry has already reached such a rate of production that it covered the mass consumption of missiles and various guided munitions since the first days of the SMO. Now their production exceeds the daily consumption. That is, the stocks of these weapons, on the contrary, are growing.
If you believe Masonic oligarch Russia has any industrial capacity like that you are cray cray.
Yeah, “Einstein”, Vladimir Vladimirovich said that they even haven’t starting nothing.
If you believe you have any intellectual capacity you are gay gay
My hero, whoever he was.
Yeah, Stephen, You should write a novel about Bandera. Since you only write horror stories, that would certainly be interesting to read. You could even add a chapter on Zelensky, at the end.
As long as they don’t have blood on their hands, they might be exchanged for Russians in captivity. Murderers, however, must never be exchanged — They need to pay the ultimate price for their evil acts!
They’re not soldiers, they’re international terrorists. They should be treated as such.
1 mercenary in exchange for 10 Russian soldiers and 1 ton of gold
No, no, no. 3 mercenaries for 3 Russian soldiers, + recognition of LPR, DPR and Crimea republics. That would settle quite a few things
Russia has obviously been listening to the posters on SF who complain about “Jewish control ” of some aspects of Russian life-quote- Moscow Court says it received a request from the Justice Ministry to LIQUIDATE the Russian branch of the “Jewish Agency ” -Israel is worried -“please dont do it Russia”.
Russia will STOP supplying oil to ANY country that caps its oil -oil to that country(s) will be redirected to those not complying with US demands.
Its fine with me. More like Russia is redirected by themself. Its going down.
Soon they will buy western drones to defend themself.
No one gives a flying fook what’s fine with you dumb monkey. Go choke on Yank banana and die from monkeypox you lobotomized chimpanzee.
your stupidity can only be understood as combination of senility and bitterness derived from a socially spiritually impoverished life
The wankers of Western alliance remains in deep delusion of applying a cap over the oil prices which will never gonna happen… 5.600 roubles per barrel.. TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT.
A two-year old could figure out how to get around that stupid price-cap scheme/scam.
The countries obeying America have to know the cost in suffering of their own populations -unrest when oil price skyrockets causing resentment with America and their own government.
Sure. No one else listen to Father and Mother Putin.
Bla bla bla + blah
that makes more sense than your usual gibberish
Take the 3 UK mercenaries and exchange them for JULIAN ASSANGE.
the royal pedos have pedo covid and think with the anus !!! so the queen of prostiputes think everything is novovitch that she puts in the anus !!!
They deserve to return in a bin liner.
Let the Americans go but kill the Sunni-Wahhabi and the ugly fat pig.
Perhaps Washington might consider exchanging them for Mr Assange?
Nobody wants these degenerates back. Execute the filth and make the world a better place.
https://twitter.com/mintpressnews/status/1550498470057893889?s=21
If you’re having a bad day click on the tweet, US empire is falling which= Zionist empire falling
Nah chop their heads off and see what kind of loot boxes they drop
Lets count, Boris Johnson -1, Mario Draghi -2, who’s the next?
Joe Biden. Oh wait, he already died years ago 😀
German Chancellor Scholz then French President Macron, hopefully!
Victoria Nuland
Swap them for Julian Assange and give Assange Russian citizenship
NO THEY CANNOT BE EXCHANGED! they went over there to kill for money and now they have been captured there are consequences for killing civilians by these nazi mercenaries and they are DEATH BY FIRING SQUAD. =Z=
Hang them all.
America went to a no-declared war against Russia thru the Ukraine’s puppet, Zelensky. These guys arens’t soldiers, they are mercenaries or sick people looking for emotions and bloodshed, So, no exchanges in any way. We need to respect our boys killed bu such scum.
Keep ’em. We don’t want those lowlifes back. Too many as it is already.
we only exchange lgbt lizards…in Sawyer trailer park he will trade for broken crack pipe