Kremlin press secretary says Geneva Conventions would not apply to two Americans feared captured in Ukraine

Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov said Monday that the Geneva Conventions — a series of agreements on, among other things, international standards for the treatment of people captured during war — would not apply to the two Americans believed to have been captured by Russian or pro-Russian forces in Ukraine in recent weeks. Peskov's comments come days after Russian media released video appearing to show the two men, 39-year-old Alexander Drueke and 27-year-old Andy Huynh.  

Peskov told MSNBC's Keir Simmons that he considers the two men to be "soldiers of fortune" who were not enlisted in the Ukrainian army — which means, he said, that Russia does not believe they are protected under the Geneva Conventions. When pressed on whether Russia knows for sure that the two men were not members of the Ukrainian military, Peskov said the matter will be "investigated in due course." 

He also alleged the two men, as a result of their supposed status as mercenaries, were involved in "illegal activity," including firing on and shelling members of Russia's military.