Canadian Citizen Killed in Donbass, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Says

MOSCOW, July 25 (Sputnik) - A Canadian foreign ministry spokesperson has confirmed the death of a Canadian citizen who was fighting as a mercenary in southeastern Ukraine.

Marilyne Guevremont, a spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada, told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) on Sunday that her department was aware of the death of a Canadian in Ukraine.

"Consular officials are in contact with the family and are providing consular assistance," Guevremont said, adding that "Due to privacy considerations, no further information can be disclosed."

CBC said that the Canadian citizen’s mother has confirmed the death of her son. She told CBC that he was a former student at Universite de Montreal and had worked as a firefighter and in customer service at a delivery company.

On Friday, a US State Department spokesperson confirmed to journalists that two US citizens, thought to have fought for the Ukrainian forces, had been killed in Donbass. Their names were not disclosed.

Politico reported on Saturday that the foreign nationals’ commander, Ruslan Miroshnichenko, confirmed the death of Americans Luke "Skywalker" Lucyszyn and Bryan Young, as well as Emile-Antoine Roy-Sirois of Canada and Edvard Selander Patrignani of Sweden, in southeastern Ukraine earlier in the week. Miroshnichenko said that they were killed on July 18 near the village of Grigoriyevka, while carrying out a mission for the Territorial Defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said in June that foreign nationals fighting illegally as mercenaries in Ukraine would be held accountable for any crimes committed without the Geneva Conventions’ protections granted to soldiers.