the state department works to find them. cnn s barbara starr has the latest developments. reporter: it was in the fighting north of kharkiv where two americans went missing last week, less than 5 miles from the russian border. the u.s. government working with ukrainian authorities to find them. i have been briefed. we don t know where they are, but i want to reiterate americans should not be going to ukraine now. reporter: now this photo from a russian blogger has emerged of alexander and andy appeared to be bound in the back of a russian military vehicle. video later emerging of an interview they did with pro-russian media. cnn is not showing the video as the two appear to be speaking under duress. now the state department is working to verify their status. they said that there is a photograph that is being circulated on the russian media, and they re working hard to verify it. we re very hopeful. reporter: retired staff sergeant druuke served in both kuwait and ir
circulated on the russian media, and they re working hard to verify it. we re very hopeful. reporter: retired staff sergeant druuke served in both kuwait and iraq. his mother, bunny, tells cnn her son wanted to lend his skills to train those who were coming to ukraine to fight. he felt if putin wasn t stopped now he would just become boulder with every success and that eventually he might end up on american shores. reporter: former marine cor cor cor cor corporal nygen. he told me he loved me very