Soldiers stand to ‘protect freedom’
Grieving St. Catharines mom ‘incredibly proud’ Cole Zelenco was ‘fighting the good fight’
The past 10 months have been a balancing act for Cole Zelenco’s mother.
Weighing the loss of her son and a painful understanding their family will never get more time, while also being “incredibly proud” and in awe of a young man who turned 21 in a Ukrainian trench, sacrificing his life in a fight for freedom.
“He was a very skilled soldier who was actually heading up missions in the special forces unit in Bakhmut — that’s how skilled he was — and so we’re all very much aware of the incredible talent this young man had and his bravery. But it’s also heartbreaking,” said Lynn Baxter.
“He really was a special young man. My daughter calls him a hero for humanity, and when he was killed we all lost him. Humanity lost a hero for humanity.”
On April 26, 2023, while defending a major supply route into the city of Bakhmut, Zelenco of St. Catharines, 27-year-old Kyle Porter from Calgary and three Ukrainian soldiers were killed by Russian artillery fire while taking shelter in a bunker.
Zelenco served the International Legion’s 92nd Mechanized Brigade from April to July 2022, before returning to Ukraine for a second tour.
In the weeks following his death, Baxter said it was her son’s conviction he was doing the right thing that helped her through the grief. Now, as Ukraine marks two years since Russia’s overnight invasion — a war that appears no closer to an end — that has not changed.
“I pray Ukraine makes more progress but it doesn’t take away, in my eyes, the sacrifice that these men have made because they truly are fighting the good fight. I think we can all learn from that,” she said.
“Ukraine has taken the world by surprise and Russia, especially, by surprise, that they’re not just getting all walked over. There’s many countries that have supported this fight and, I mean, I just pray it comes to an end successfully.”
Zelenco joined the Canadian Armed Forces out of a Grade 12 co-op program, but when the thirdyear political science student saw the Russian invasion, he received his release from the military, took a leave from Brock University and joined the fight.
While his great-grandfather was born in Odessa, Zelenco did not have any ties to the country. His primary motivation was defending and protecting people being “very cruelly subjected to an unlawful invasion,” said Baxter.
For him, the war was not just about Ukraine but a mission for humanity and the sovereignty of a nation.
“It’s everybody’s fight to protect freedom, to stand up for democracy and to ensure the dignity of human beings everywhere, whether it’s in a war zone or in times of peace,” his mom said.
“That was my son’s story, as well as Kyle’s.”
But that did not stop “hurtful” comments as news of Zelenco’s death reached the public. Baxter said online criticisms of her son included “he deserved to die,” “it wasn’t his fight” and “why did he go?”
What she finds most frustrating is those people’s lack of understanding of what is at stake and why people are willing to put their lives on the line.
“It’s about preserving dignity for humans during warfare, which seems an impossible task at times but it is also about just defending people’s freedoms. This is a much bigger mission than just Ukraine versus Russia,” Baxter said.
Getting through his death has been “extremely challenging and difficult” for the family as well as for Zelenco’s colleagues in Ukraine and Canada.
Once the initial shock and emotion passed, people from his life reached out, sharing stories and finding ways to honour his memory and sacrifice. Baxter said it is “amazing how one person’s influence in life and positivity can impact so many different branches of life.”
She heard about her son’s strength, with Zelenco’s platoon commander sharing a story about a soldier who stepped on a landmine and lost his foot. The unit took turns carrying him, but Zelenco was the only soldier strong enough to carry him the rest of the way.
An ex-Marine told her the story of a hatch door falling on his face in a cellar, causing a compression fracture, where the unit took shelter. Unable to move, they were faced with the impossible decision of leaving him behind.
“The building was getting shot at and was starting to catch on fire and the only soldier that was strong enough to carry him up the ladder with his gear and everything was Cole,” said Baxter.
It can be overwhelming to hear the stories, she said, admitting to hanging her head in “complete awe and humility” of a young man who did not flinch in the face of danger.
“He just knew it was what you have to do,” she said.
“Soldiers are a different breed of human being. They train for years knowing that they could potentially have to complete the ultimate sacrifice, and that takes a special kind of person. I just hope everybody takes a minute to actually appreciate that type of sacrifice.”