Two Canadians were killed while fighting for Ukraine’s Bakhmut

On April 26, Canadian citizens 27-year-old Kyle Porter and 21-year-old Cole Zelenco died in the battles near eastern Bakhmut, CBC News reports.

Calgary resident Kyle Porter and Cole Zelenco from St. Catharines served in the International Legion.

The Canadian volunteers were reportedly killed by artillery fire on April 26 while participating in a combat operation with a group of Ukrainian troops to maintain a key supply route to Bakhmut.

Porter, Zelenco and at least three other Ukrainian soldiers sought shelter in a reinforced bunker, but the bunker took a direct hit, their commander said.

Both men had previously served in the Canadian Armed Forces but had left the army before signing up to fight in Ukraine. Their commander said the two had become close friends.   

Zelenco's body was recovered from the battlefield and is now in Kharkiv. The GoFundMe page indicates $30,000 has been raised to cover funeral and transportation expenses.

Porter's body was not immediately recovered, but his commander indicated members of his unit were hoping to do so shortly.

An unofficial count by CBC News would make them the fourth and fifth Canadians to be killed in the war since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.