A Saskatchewan farmer who served two tours in Afghanistan has died fighting in Ukraine, relatives say.
Joseph Hildebrand, 33, and other members of the military unit for which he was a volunteer were killed over the weekend during a combat mission, family members said. They said the surviving soldiers called them and are currently guarding the bodies with their Ukrainian colleagues in hostile territory until arrangements can be made to extricate them.
“We’re all together on the farm, trying to get more information,” Hildebrand’s brother, Jake, said from his mother’s home near the town of Herbert, Sask., 200 kilometers to the east. west of Regina.
“I’m 35 and I have to make arrangements for my brother’s body. This is as bad as it gets.”
Saskatchewan man Joseph Hildebrand has died fighting Russian forces in Ukraine, relatives say. He previously served two tours in Afghanistan. (Joseph Hildebrand/Facebook)
Jake said he was told his brother was one of a dozen soldiers — some Ukrainian, some from South America and elsewhere — on a mission near the besieged eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut in the Donetsk region. According to news reports, Russian forces have stepped up attacks on the city from multiple directions in recent days. The remaining 12,000 residents have been without electricity, gas and running water for more than two months.
It is not clear how Joseph Hildebrand died, but Jake was told that nine of the 12 men on the mission were killed.
He will be greatly missed by his mother and three siblings, as well as his partner and 12-year-old daughter, Jake said.
Jake said his brother was “unbelievably brave”, having enlisted in the Canadian army and served two tours in Afghanistan. He saw combat, but also worked as a trainer for Afghan forces, Jake said.
The family of Joseph Hildebrand says he died over the weekend fighting Russian forces in Ukraine. (Joseph Hildebrand/Facebook)
Jake said his brother never talked much about Ukraine, they have no ethnic or family ties there, but he just decided he wanted to help. He left in June.
“He made up his mind and left,” said his cousin, Carl.
Carl said Joseph enjoyed hunting and spending time with his family. He was also an “extremely hard worker” on a local mixed farming operation.
CBC News has reached out to Global Affairs Canada for more information.