Russian state media release propaganda video of American teacher, 28, held captive after trying to flee to Turkey from Ukraine: Mother fears 'he will be tortured and killed'
- Tina Hauser says her son, Tyler Jacob, 28, who has been living in Ukraine with his wife and stepdaughter, was taken prisoner by Russian troops on Saturday
- Jacob boarded an evacuation bus for foreigners headed to Turkey, but it was stopped at a checkpoint in Russian-held Crimea
- Jacob, who was the only American on board, was removed from the bus by Russian troops
- Hauser contacted the US State Department and Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, asking for help
By SNEJANA FARBEROV FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 04:43 AEDT, 18 March 2022 | UPDATED: 07:30 AEDT, 18 March 2022
Footage that was released by a Russian state-owned video news agency shows an American citizen fleeing Ukraine passing through a checkpoint in Crimea, before his parents say he was taken prisoner by the Russian military.
Tina Hauser, of Winona, told local outlets that the last time she spoke with her son, 28-year-old Tyler Jacob, was on Saturday when he told her he was being forced by the Russian troops to board a bus out of Kherson and leave his Ukrainian wife and stepdaughter behind.
Speaking to DailyMail.com on Thursday, Hauser said she has not heard from Tyler in five days. She said that officials with the US State Departments have petitioned the Russian government to reveal her son's whereabouts and whether he is 'still alive.'
Video that was shot in Armiansk, Crimea, on Saturday night by the Russian video-on-demand company Ruptly shows Jacob going through a Russian checkpoint en route to Turkey.
In an interview with the outlet, Jacob said that he planned to take a charter flight to Turkey with some people he had met on the bus.
'I think I'll be OK,' he said in the video.
Sometime later, according to Jacob's parents, he was seized by Russian troops and taken away.
'My worst nightmare is coming true, and I'm fearful that they are going to torture him and kill him and I'm not ever going to see my son again,' Hauser told KAALTV through tears.
The article that accompanied the Ruptly video alleged that the evacuation of 140 foreign nationals fleeing Ukraine was made possible by Russia's Ministry of Defense.
'The evacuation was organized at the request of foreign embassies seeking assistance with ensuring the safe conduct of their citizens from the territory of Ukraine, but also in response to pleas from foreign nationals, addressed to the Russian military command of Kherson,' the agency was quoted as stating.
Hauser said she has reached out to the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, and on Wednesday they called her back, warning her that it was going to be 'a long slow process,' she wrote in a Facebook post.
Minnesota native Tyler Jacob, 28, is seen at a checkpoint in Crimea on Saturday, just before his parents said he was taken prisoner by Russian forces
Tina Hauser (left) says her 28-year-old son, Tyler Jacob (right), who has been living in Ukraine, was taken prisoner by Russian troops on Saturday
When the bus reached the Russian-held Crimea, Jacob, who was the only American on board, was removed by Russian troops
Jacob, from Minnesota, was living with his wife and stepdaughter in Kherson on the Black Sea when the Russian invasion began three weeks ago. This satellite image from March 15 shows the Kherson airbase on fire after an alleged airstrike against Russian forces occupying the base
Jacob boarded an evacuation bus for foreigners headed to Turkey on Saturday, when this photo of Ukrainian protesters was taken in Kherson
She has also contacted Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s office for help.
'My heart goes out to Tyler’s family and we will do everything we can to locate him. My office is working with the State Department and the embassy to find him and resolve this situation as quickly as possible,' Klobuchar said in a statement.
The State Department said it is aware of the reports, but due to privacy considerations has no further comment.
Jacob moved to Ukraine last November to teach English at a language school in Kherson. There, he met his future wife and the two got married in January. A month later, Russian troops invaded Ukraine, and the family, including Jacob's stepdaughter, found themselves trapped, he told Ruptly on Saturday.
'He met a girl over there, fell in love, got married, and now we are in a mess,' Tyler's father, John Quinn, told WCCO-TV.
Before the war, Jacob (left) had been teaching English at Kherson's Camford School. His father, John Quinn (right), is concerned that Jacob will be used as a pawn by Kremlin
The family have appealed for help to Senator Amy Klobuchar, pictured above arriving to watch a speech by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday
Kherson, a southern city of 290,000 on the Black Sea, was captured by invading Russian forces early in the war, which is now in its fourth week.
Quinn said Jacob got on an evacuation bus for foreigners headed to Turkey on Saturday. But at a checkpoint in the Russian-held Crimea, the bus was stopped by Russian soldiers and Jacob, who was said to be the only American on board, was detained, WCCO-TV reported.
'It’s heartbreaking that your child would have to go through something like that,' his father said.
Quinn added that he is concerned that Jacob will be used as a pawn by Kremlin.
Meanwhile, Jacob's distraught mother said she has been anxiously waiting by the phone day and night, hoping to hear from her son.
'I just cling to my phone, leaving it on all night hoping he will call or text, telling me he is OK, but I don't get anything,' Hauser told KARE11.
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Minnesota mom says son has been taken prisoner by Russian troops in Ukraine
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