Man Detained By Russian Troops In Ukraine Returns Home To Minnesota
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A Minnesota man who was imprisoned by Russian troops while in war-ravaged Ukraine has returned home.
Tyler Jacob, 28, of Winona, was teaching English in Ukraine when Russian forces invaded. He attempted to escape to Turkey was by detained by Russian soldiers.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota) helped orchestrate Jacob's safe return to the U.S. At a press conference with the senator on Tuesday, Jacob's mother spoke on how thankful she was that her son made it home safe.
"It was just a great joy when he walked in the house," Tina Hauser said, adding: "To have him home is the greatest thing a mother could ask for."
It started as an adventure, when Jacob met the love of his life online and moved to Ukraine to marry and live with her and her daughter. That adventure, though, turned to terror after Russia attacked Ukraine, and Jacob was captured by Russian forces. Jacob's wife called his mother in Winona.
"We knew it was getting worse and this is how we were dealing with it, because we didn't know what was going to happen," Hauser said.
Hauser reached out to Klobuchar.
"It was the mom doing everything, sitting in Winona, knowing her kid was somewhere, knowing her son was in Russian custody and not knowing, seeing the atrocities on TV," Klobuchar said.
The senator and her staff worked with ambassadors to Russia, and within a week he was home. The pair met for the first time Tuesday.
Jacob said he's grateful and overwhelmed.
"It's hard to put into words. I mean, how can you describe being put into prison and questioned daily? It's a lot to put into a few words," he said. "It was difficult, by all means, to stay mentally strong through this and remain positive."
Jacob says he was treated fairly well by his captors, who at first mistook him for a spy. After negotiations, he was released to the U.S., reunited with his mother, and renewed in spirit.
Jacob thanked Klobuchar for her diligence and help getting him released from Russian custody.
Klobuchar's office is working to help bring Jacob's wife and child to the U.S., too. They plan to start a new life together in Florida.