An American fighting in Ukraine against Russian forces was killed, according to his family, the Pentagon warned on Friday, April 29, American nationals tempted to venture into the field of the deadly conflict.
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Willy Joseph Cancel, who was reportedly killed on Monday aged 22, arrived in Ukraine in mid-March, his mother Rebecca Cabrera told CNN. “We continue to urge Americans not to go to Ukraine,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby began, also on CNN, conjuring up “disturbing” news and supporting the families of those killed. “It’s an ongoing war zone, (…) it’s not a place Americans should go,” he reiterated. “He wanted to go there because he believed in what Ukraine is fighting for and he wanted to be a part of that, to contain (the threat) there and that it doesn’t get here,” Rebecca Cabrera said of his son.
According to the American press, the young man leaves behind a wife and a 7-month-old child. His wife Brittany Cancel confirmed his death in a statement sent to several American media outlets, citing her husband’s “courage” as a “hero”. A former Marine, he joined a private paramilitary company and volunteered for Ukraine.
Also read Briton killed in Ukraine, another missing
A British national has also been killed in Ukraine and another is missing, a British Foreign Office spokesman confirmed on Thursday. Both men also fought as volunteers with the Ukrainian army, according to British media. Shortly after Russia invaded his country on February 24, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for the formation of an “international legion” of foreign volunteers to help him defend Ukraine. In early March, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kouleba mentioned the number of around 20,000 foreign volunteers who had joined the country at war.
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