Press Secretary of the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov believes that the American mercenaries detained in Ukraine are involved in illegal activities and should be held accountable for the crimes committed.

He added: “They are mercenaries and were engaged in illegal activities on the territory of Ukraine. They participated in the bombing of our army and must be held accountable for the crimes they committed. I will not go into an explanation of the legal aspect of their family. One thing is clear. They committed crimes. They are not members of the Ukrainian army. The Geneva Convention does not apply to them.

U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price said the U.S. has not contacted Russia about reports of families of U.S. citizens and a third missing in Ukraine, and pointed out in response to a question about whether the U.S. government had contacted Russia about the two Americans who, reportedly taken prisoner, stated that “until today, we have not yet communicated with the Russian Federation on this matter.”