Alex Drueke experienced broken ribs, loss of hearing and more after Russian imprisonment.
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. - A handful of Americans have become political pawns in the war between Russia and Ukraine. They were captured or arrested overseas and held by the Russians. People like Brittney Griner and Alabama’s own Alex Drueke and Andy Huynh. They’re all home now but that doesn’t mean things are back to normal.
Griner was charged and convicted of drug trafficking in Russia after bringing a vape cartridge with cannabis oil into the country.Two men here in Alabama have similar stories. Alex Drueke and Andy Huynh were captured in Ukraine after fighting against Russian soldiers in June.Alex’s mother, Bunny, says those first few weeks home were incredible. “When he first came back we were all on a big high, including Alex, and so there was a lot of laughter a lot of joy and a lot of hugs,” said Bunny.
Alex returned with broken ribs, he lost hearing in one ear, his hands didn’t have the same feeling and thinking was more difficult for him. He blames that on electric shocks from his Russian captors.“Their circumstances were different,” said Bunny. “She was being held in a regular prison. She was not a prisoner-of-war so she hopefully wasn’t treated as badly as Alex. They were trying to get information out of him, the information they did not have.
But, Bunny believes Griner is experiencing some similarities like malnourishment and difficulty sleeping. It will be a long adjustment to return to normal. “Anytime your freedom is taken away from you is a very stressful situation. There are going to be things that are going to take her a while to get used to and her loved ones really need to give her patience and let her heal at her own time.”Copyright 2022 WAFF. All rights reserved.
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