St. Catharines, Ont., man killed in Ukraine was 'effervescent,' 'hard-charging' and a 'total professional'
Cole Zelenco, 21, was killed April 26 in the bloody battle for Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine
Cole Zelenco, a St. Catharines, Ont., resident killed last week by Russian artillery fire, was "effervescent" and "hard-charging," and a "total professional" on the battlefield, says a fellow Canadian who met the 21-year-old in Ukraine's International Legion.
Walter Wood, a Canadian Armed Forces officer who spent time fighting in Ukraine last year, told CBC Radio's The Current that Zelenco "always had a good sense of humour" and "was one of the better soldiers we had over there when I was there.
"I've had my friends that are still over there fighting contact me and they're devastated by the loss," said Wood, a Canadian military veteran who lives in Ottawa.
He said the intensity of the fighting has created strong bonds between colleagues there in a short amount of time, and that the losses of Zelenco and Kyle Porter, 27, of Calgary, would weigh heavily on their peers.
"Even in the short period of time I was over there, we formed bonds of brotherhood and fellowship that rival even my experiences of 36 years in the Canadian Army," Wood said.
Zelenco and Porter, both members of the International Legion's 92nd Mechanised Brigade, died in the same attack April 26, while trying to protect a major supply route into Bakhmut, a besieged eastern Ukrainian city.
The unit has been bearing the brunt of a ferocious Ukrainian effort to hold Bakhmut against a determined Russian attack. The Donbas-region city has been the site of the longest-running and bloodiest battle of the war, with thousands — if not tens of thousands — of casualties on both sides.
Zelenco and Porter's commander told CBC News their unit came under intense artillery fire from Russian troops. Porter, Zelenco and at least three other Ukrainian soldiers sought shelter in a reinforced bunker, he said, but the bunker took a direct hit and all were killed. An unofficial count by CBC News would make them the fourth and fifth Canadians to be killed in the war since Russia's invasion in February 2022.
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.
Fundraiser has more than $41,000 in donations
An online fundraiser created to help pay for costs to transport Zelenco's body and his funeral had raised more than $41,000 as of Tuesday evening.
Family and friends who commented on the fundraiser's website described an "amazing young man" involved in sea cadets and church "who demonstrated courage and fierce leadership far beyond his years."
A person who identified as Zelenco's grandma on the fundraiser site said she was proud of her grandson, even though she had encouraged him to come home from Ukraine.
"You always replied, 'I'll be home soon. Don't worry!' I know you were very confident in your decision to help the Ukrainian people fight for their freedom and you were determined to make a difference," she wrote.
Several comments described Zelenco as someone who was not easily deterred from what he wanted to do.
"I will forever remember you as the most determined individual I have ever met," wrote Jarrett Frisby. "Cole never gave up on what he was passionate about and that truly is a trait that most cannot live up to."
'Absolutely a hell there'
Wood, the Ottawa man who fought in Ukraine, said the area where the St. Catharines man died was well-known as extremely dangerous — Porter had told CBC that he was heading into a "meat grinder" shortly before he died.
"It is absolutely a hell there," Wood told CBC. "Bring back any movies you've seen on TV that represent the horrors of war and you're getting pretty close to what those guys went through."
Michael Bociurkiw, a global affairs analyst based in Ukraine, says the battle in Bakhmut "has become one of the most recognizable symbols of the conflict," and that Russian losses there are believed to be five soldiers to every Ukrainian.
"A once-beautiful town, one of the most picturesque places in eastern Ukraine, has been replaced with blood-drenched killing fields," he said.
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With files from Chris Brown