Two Canadians have been killed in action around the fiercely contested Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, with one of them telling CBC News before his death that the conditions on the front line were like a “meat grinder.”
Kyle Porter, 27, of Calgary, and Cole Zelenco, 21, of St. Catharines, Ont., were both serving with Ukraine’s International Legion, which was attached to the 92nd Mechanised Brigade.
The unit has been bearing the brunt of a ferocious Ukrainian effort to hold Bakhmut against a determined Russian attack.
The city in the eastern Donbas region 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.
Porter had been in contact with CBC News in the days leading up to his death. He had exchanged several text messages and shared his anxiety about the difficult conditions at the front.
“Let me figure out how I am going to survive the next few days…” he wrote three days before he was killed.
“It was a meat grinder the first time and I’m not expecting it any better this time round,” he texted.
Zelenco, left, and Porter were hit by Russian artillery as they defended a key supply route into the besieged city, their commanding officer said. (Name withheld)
In an interview their commanding officer, the foreign legion fighter known as “the dentist,” said that on April 26 at around 6 p.m., the two Canadians were part of a larger group of soldiers tasked with holding an important supply route into Bakhmut.
The commander told CBC News that the 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.
All were killed.
Kyle Porter, third from right, had previously worked with an urban search and rescue team in Kharkiv. (Submitted by Kyle Porter)
“They both were very proud of what they were doing,” said the commander. “We were like a family. It is like I have lost my brothers.”
Global Affairs Canada said in a statement that it is “aware of reports” about two Canadians being killed and is “following up with authorities for more information.”
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.
A photo given to CBC News showed them standing together dressed in combat fatigues.
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.
Kyle Porter, who trained as a medic with the Canadian Forces, instructs Ukrainian rescue workers in First Aid in Kharkiv. (Submitted by Kyle Porter)
In Porter’s texts to CBC News, he referred to having braved the terrible conditions in Bakhmut once before.
“During his missions, [Porter] saved the lives of wounded soldiers despite often being under Russian small arms and artillery fire while doing so,” said a statement released on behalf of Porter’s friends and family.
It went on to note that Ukrainian commanders had recommended him for a medal for his “gallant actions” near Bakhmut.
A statement by Zelenco’s friends posted on a GoFundMe page said Zelenco was “intensely passionate” about serving in Ukraine and had served two tours there.
Porter had previously worked in Ukraine as a member of an urban search and rescue team based in Kharkiv last spring, which is where CBC News initially met him.
At the time, he was acting as the team’s medic and described several close calls where he escaped Russian shelling.
“War is cruelty,” he said at the time, even while noting he hoped to return to Ukraine “in a different role.”
Ukrainian service members from a third separate assault brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine prepare to fire a howitzer D30 at a front line, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, near the city of Bakhmut, Ukraine, on April 23. (Sofiia Gatilova/Reuters)
The family statement said Porter felt a “strong need to do more” and once back in Ukraine, his skills and military experience earned him a promotion to the rank of junior sergeant.
Ukraine’s army is thought to be just days away from launching a major counter-offensive against Russian troops and the battle to hold Bakhmut is seen as decisive.
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.
Paul Hughes, a long-time Calgary community volunteer, now based in Kharkiv, where he runs several charities, says he plans to help transport Porter’s body away from the front line to Kharkiv.
“There are people around the world who have been motivated to come over here and do humanitarian work, or, like Kyle and Cole, who’ve come over and lost their lives,” said Hughes.
“They are doing everything they possibly can to defend Ukraine, which is a very, very beautiful and amazing country.”
The White House estimated on Monday that Russia’s military has suffered 100,000 casualties in the last five months in fighting against Ukraine in the Bakhmut region.
White House national security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters the figure, based on U.S. intelligence estimates, included more than 20,000 dead, half of them from the Wagner Group. The Bakhmut offensive has stalled and failed, he said.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Billie Jean King will become the first individual female athlete to be awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.
Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey announced Tuesday that their bipartisan legislation had passed the House of Representatives and would be sent to President Joe Biden for his signature.
The bill to honor King, the tennis Hall of Famer and activist, had already passed unanimously in the Senate.
Sherrill, a Democrat, said in a statement that King’s “lifetime of advocacy and hard work changed the landscape for women and girls on the court, in the classroom, and the workplace.”
The bill was introduced last September on the 50th anniversary of King’s victory over Bobby Riggs in the “Battle of the Sexes,” still the most-watched tennis match of all-time. The medal, awarded by Congress for distinguished achievements and contributions to society, has previously been given to athletes including baseball players Jackie Robinson and Roberto Clemente, and golfers Jack Nicklaus, Byron Nelson and Arnold Palmer.
King had already been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009. Fitzpatrick, a Republican, says she has “broken barriers, led uncharted paths, and inspired countless people to stand proudly with courage and conviction in the fight for what is right.”
SURREY, B.C. – Premier David Eby says new account control measures for young Instagram users introduced Tuesday by social media giant Meta are the “minimum” expected of tech companies to keep kids safe online.
The parent company of Instagram says users in Canada and elsewhere under 18 will have their accounts set to private by default starting Tuesday, restricting who can send messages, among other parental controls and settings.
Speaking at an unrelated event Tuesday, Eby says the province began talks with social media companies after threatening legislation that would put big tech companies on the hook for “significant potential damages” if they were found negligent in failing to keep kids safe from online predators.
Eby says the case of Carson Cleland, a 12-year-old from Prince George, B.C., who took his own life last year after being targeted by a predator on Snapchat, was “horrific and totally preventable.”
He says social media apps are “nothing special,” and should be held to the same child safety standards as anyone who operates a place that invites young people, whether it’s an amusement park, a playground or an online platform.
In a progress report released Tuesday about the province’s engagement with big tech companies including Google, Meta, TikTok, Spapchat and X, formerly known as Twitter, the provincial government says the companies are implementing changes, including a “trusted flagger” option to quickly remove intimate images.
— With files from The Associated Press
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024
EDMONTON – Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says as classrooms get overwhelmed with new grade school students, her government will fast-track new school builds with $8.6 billion over the next three years.
In a televised address Tuesday evening, Smith said the province’s existing budget isn’t enough to keep up with rapid population growth in kindergarten to Grade 12 schools.
“This is quite literally the fastest and largest build our province can manage given available construction workforce capacity and the time it takes to permit, prepare and service available school sites,” said Smith.
The province’s population grew by more than 200,000 people in the last fiscal year.
The premier said often the only thing holding back the cash is school boards getting projects ready for construction.
“If you can prepare the sites, the province will have the dollars set aside to get shovels in the ground,” said Smith.
The government is changing the process of approving construction funding so school boards don’t need to wait every year for the next budget cycle to get the go-ahead.
Previously approved school projects that are now in the planning and design stages could move forward to the next stage as soon as they are ready.
Smith’s announcement comes as the province’s two largest divisions, Edmonton Public Schools and the Calgary Board of Education, say their schools are expected to have a utilization rate of well over 90 per cent this school year, with some schools hitting capacity.
The addition of some $6.5 billion in capital funding would be a significant boost to what was budgeted in February.
Budget 2024 originally earmarked $1.9 billion in capital funding over the next three years for planning, design or construction of new and modernized school projects across the province.
In the summer, the government promised an added $215 million for school boards, including $90 million towards 100 more modular classrooms that are expected to be delivered by the end of the calendar year.
Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides told The Canadian Press that yearly budget numbers will vary under the new plan because different projects will be able to move forward at different times, but it will mean schools get built as quickly as possible.
“That (new) process will help make sure that it doesn’t take five, six years for schools to get built,” he said.
Smith said she expects the construction could lead to about 50,000 new student spaces over the next three years, and 12,500 new charter school student spaces over the next four years.
Smith also used her television address to take a swipe at Ottawa, accusing Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government of “unrestrained” border policies.
Smith said historically high immigration levels – especially for those with temporary visas – is exacerbating housing shortages and challenging education, health and other social services infrastructure.
“Alberta has always welcomed newcomers who possess our shared values – and we will continue to do so,” said Smith, explaining her definition of shared values.
“Welcoming those who believe in working hard, protecting our freedoms, contributing to society, following the rule of law, and who have a deep respect for other cultures and faiths different from their own, have long been a strength of our provincial culture and history.”
Smith called for “more sensible and restrained” policies but did not provide details.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
