A veteran of the United States Air Force is being held by Russian separatists in Ukraine. Suedi Murekezi, 35, was reportedly detained in the southern city of Kherson in June after being falsely accused of protesting.
Per The Washington Post, Sele Murekezi, Suedi Murekezi’s brother, told the outlet that his brother and two other Americans are being held by the Donetsk People’s Republic in eastern Ukraine. Alexander Drueke and Andy Tai Huynh, both US military veterans, have also been detained.
The Rwandan native is an eight-year United States Air Force veteran and Bitcoin investor. Suedi Murekezi moved to Ukraine in 2018 to take advantage of the country’s thriving technology sector, and he was living in Kherson when Russian troops took over the city.
His brother said Murekezi called him on phone on July 7. When Sele spoke to Suedi in their native language, Suedi responded in English and said he was not being harmed. Sele Murekezi expresses hope that the government will assist his brother, as his brother had assisted the United States through his service.
“He has done his part for America,” He said. “And maybe America can do something for him, as well.”
The three Americans were detained on June 9, according to Newsweek. The State Department acknowledged “unconfirmed reports” of Murekezi’s detention but did not elaborate.
Bryan Stern is the co-founder of Project Dynamo, a non-profit organization that organizes rescue missions for people detained in Afghanistan and Ukraine. Stern stated that Suedi Murekezi was not detained because of his alleged protesting.
“To the best that we can tell, his only crime is that he’s an American and that he’s Black,” Stern said. He also mentioned that the term “protesting” has many different meanings in the separatist region and that one person was arrested for saying “thank you” in Ukrainian rather than Russian.
While the Donetsk People’s Republic is apparently not an official government entity, the family is hopeful that negotiations will result in Murekezi’s release.