Former US Marine killed fighting in E Ukraine
A former US Marine has been killed alongside the Kiev forces and others fighting Russian troops in eastern Ukraine.
Willy Joseph Cancel, 22, who was killed on Monday, is the first known death of an American citizen fighting for the Ukraine forces.
His relatives told US news outlets that he was working for a US military contractor at the time of his death.
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The mother of the deceased, Rebecca Cabrera, told US media that her son's body had not been found; however, she asked authorities to return the body if possible. "[W]e would love for him to come back to us."
Cabrera said her son had been working as a corrections officer in Tennessee before he signed up to work for the private military contractor.
She said her son was flown to Poland on March 12.
From Poland, he was deployed to Ukraine shortly after where he was fighting alongside a group of men from different countries before his death.
Meanwhile, US officials have yet to confirm the death of the first American citizen fighting in Ukraine.
The US State Department said on Friday that it was aware of the reports of the death and was “closely monitoring the situation" but could not comment further “due to privacy considerations.”
Meanwhile, UK government officials confirmed on Thursday that a British citizen had been killed in Ukraine. Officials were "urgently seeking further information" on another who is missing, a UK Foreign Office spokesperson told US media.
"We can confirm that a British national has been killed in Ukraine and are supporting their family," they said.
The Ukrainian Defense Ministry has set up a special military unit, the International Legion, for foreign combatants willing to fight against Russia. According to Kiev's Brig. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, commander of the division running the legion, as of March 7 more than 20,000 volunteers and veterans from 52 countries had signed up to fight.
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