Tributes for Canadian Volunteer Soldiers Killed Fighting in Bakhmut

Tributes have poured in for two Canadian volunteer soldiers who were killed while fighting in the war-torn city of Bakhmut in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region.

Kyle Porter, from Calgary, Alberta, 27, and Cole Zelenco, from St. Catharines, Ontario, 21, were killed last week while serving with Ukraine's International Legion, which was attached to the 92nd Mechanized Brigade, and has been involved in a Ukrainian effort to defend Bakhmut from Russian forces.

The fight for Bakhmut has become the longest-running battle since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to Ukraine's minister of internal affairs, told Newsweek in February that a successful defense of the city could put the Ukrainians in a position to launch a counteroffensive.

James Emmanuel Wanki, a spokesperson of Global Affairs Canada, the country's foreign ministry, told Newsweek that the ministry "is aware of reports of the death of two Canadian citizens in Ukraine."

"We are following up with authorities for more information. Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the deceased," Wanki said. "The safety and security of Canadians abroad is a top priority of the Government of Canada. Due to privacy considerations, no further information can be disclosed."

In an interview with CBC News, their commanding officer said that on the evening of April 26, Porter, Zelenco and other unit soldiers were tasked with holding a critical supply route into Bakhmut, and came under intense shelling from Russian forces.

The Canadian volunteers and at least three other Ukrainian soldiers took shelter in a bunker, which was subsequently hit.

"They both were very proud of what they were doing," the commander said. "We were like a family. It is like I have lost my brothers."

The commander said Zelenco and Porter, who had reportedly both previously served in the Canadian armed forces, became close friends while fighting in Ukraine.

Gerashchenko paid tribute to the pair in a statement on Twitter, calling them "warriors."

"Canadians Kyle Porter, 27 and Cole Zelenko, 21, fighters of the International Legion, died defending Ukraine near Bakhmut. They fought in the 92nd Mechanized Brigade," he tweeted on Tuesday.

"No words can express our gratitude for their sacrifice. Eternal memory and eternal glory to Warriors."

The Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC), a nonprofit based in the city of Winnipeg, expressed its "deep condolences" to the families and friends of Porter and Zelenco, "who were killed in action defending Ukraine against Russia's genocidal invasion."

"Mr. Porter and Mr. Zelenco will be remembered for their bravery and their sacrifice in defence of Ukraine's freedom and peace in Europe. The Ukrainian Canadian community honours their Memory," the UCC said in a statement on Facebook.

According to a GoFundMe page seeking donations to help Zelenco's family cover funeral costs and repatriate his body, the Canadian served in the Canadian armed forces for four years before he went to Ukraine, "a cause he was intensely passionate about."

"He performed two tours in Ukraine in 2022 and 2023," it reads. "Cole died a hero among the Ukrainian community and military. Cole died a hero in the field of life through his kindness, sense of humor, humility and fierce sense of loyalty."

Newsweek has contacted Global Affairs Canada, the country's foreign ministry, via email for comment.

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Update 05/02/23, 8:41 a.m. ET: This article was updated with a statement from Global Affairs Canada.