An American citizen was killed in a battle in Ukraine, according to an obituary published by his family and confirmed by the State Department, making him at least the second American to die as a result of the war. Stephen D. Zabielski, 52, died May 15 while fighting in the conflict, according to obituaries, published in Recorder, a newspaper serving Montgomery County in Upstate, New York. He left behind a wife, five adopted children and seven siblings, including family. The State Department has been in contact with the family and has provided “all possible consular assistance,” said a U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity because the matter was considered sensitive. The official declined to give further details of the case “out of respect for the family during this difficult time”. Volunteers of the war in Ukraine are returning home, calculating a difficult struggle The news of the death spread widely after Rolling Stone magazine, citing many people who know the circumstances of Zabielski’s death, said on Monday that he was a US Army veteran and had been killed by a landmine. The Washington Post could not immediately verify his military records. Attempts to contact Zabielski’s family were unsuccessful. He was from New York and lived there for most of his life before moving to Florida in recent years, his obituary said. He worked in construction. Zabielski’s death came about two weeks after the family of 22-year-old US Marine Corps veteran Willy Joseph Cancel revealed he had been killed while fighting in Ukraine. The veteran US Marine who is fighting in Ukraine has been missing since April The government in Kyiv has aggressively recruited Westerners with previous military experience to join its International Legion for the Defense of Ukraine and has sent many into battle. The news of Zabielski’s death follows reports that two other Americans involved in the war have disappeared in Ukraine this month. Alexander J. Drueke, 39, and Andy Tai Huynh, 27, both from Alabama, were last seen near the northeastern city of Kharkiv, and is believed to have been captured by forces aligned with the Kremlin. Drueke is a former army sergeant who served in Iraq and Kuwait, while Huynh is a former Marine chief who was deployed to the Pacific, according to service records released by the Pentagon last week. The Americans arrested in Ukraine are facing an uncertain fate. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peshkov said in an interview with NBC News on Monday that Druke and Hein should be “held accountable for the crimes they have committed.” He referred to them as “soldiers of luck” and suggested that they would not qualify for the protection afforded to prisoners of war under the Geneva Conventions. Two British nationals and a Moroccan who fought alongside Ukrainian forces were captured this month. A court in eastern Ukraine, where Russian-backed separatists have controlled territories for years, has sentenced them to death. U.S. officials have been trying for months to discourage Americans from taking part in the war, citing security risks and the US government’s limited ability to help when something goes wrong. President Biden stressed on Friday that “Americans should not go to Ukraine now.” Alice Crites contributed to this report.
