Alex Drueke was born in Tuscaloosa and moved around the country as a child.  After 9/11, Alex joined the US Army, where he served for 12 years. He completed two tours of duty in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom. When he saw the illegal invasion of Ukraine, Alex felt a calling to assist them in defending their democracy. After several months training Ukrainian Soldiers, Alex joined GUR (Military Intelligence) as an infantryman. June 9, 2022, Alex and a fellow Alabamian were captured by russian soldiers while serving at the front line in north of Kharkiv. For almost four months, Alex survived daily torture, beatings, electrocution, starvation, and other war crimes at the hands of his russian captors. After being freed in a prisoner exchange Sept 21, 2022 and healing from his injuries, he has raised funds, lobbied Congress, and spoken to groups from high schoolers to community organizations to multiple national and international news organizations in support of Ukraine. Alex has made multiple trips back to Ukraine for humanitarian work, training the National Guard, fundraising, and working with Ukrainian defense manufacturers.

Since 2025, Alex has served as official spokesman for Defense Tech for Ukraine (DTU), an international volunteer-led initiative that accelerates the development and fielding of defense technologies. Acting as an early-stage technology incubator, DTU transforms prototype innovations into operational tools that are delivered directly to Ukrainian soldiers to save lives and defend freedom. As a U.S. and Ukrainian veteran, former POW, and humanitarian, Alexander Drueke embodies both authenticity and expertise — giving him a rare authority to speak on defense tech, moral duty, and the reality of modern warfare.