An Army veteran is believed to be the second American to be killed in action in Ukraine.
Steve Zabielski, 52, was killed on May 15 in southeastern Ukraine when he stepped on a landmine, according to a report. The State Department confirmed Zabielski’s death to the Washington Examiner and has been in touch with the family and has “provided all possible consular assistance.” An obituary published in an upstate New York newspaper earlier this month reported Zabielski’s death in Ukraine.
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“Mr. Stephen D. ‘Steve’ Zabielski, of Hernando, FL, formerly of Cranesville, NY, died on Sunday, May 15, 2022, while fighting the war in Village of Dorozhniank, Ukraine,” the obituary, published in the Recorder on June 1, said.
Zabielski reportedly served in the Persian Gulf War with the 101st Airborne Division. He traveled to Ukraine to volunteer for the Ukrainian side after Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion and belonged to a squad of Western volunteers attached to the Ukrainian army, according to a report. His squad was clearing landmines and monitoring the Russian line in connection with the battle of Severodonetsk when he was killed.
Zabielski’s body was taken to a local morgue the day after his death and then taken to Kyiv and the U.S. Embassy before being flown back to the United States for his funeral in Florida, according to the report.
In April, Willy Joseph Cancel, 22, was the first American reported to be killed in battle in Ukraine. Cancel, a former U.S. Marine, had been working for a private military contracting company in Ukraine since mid-March. His body has not been recovered.
Shortly after the war broke out, Ukraine sent out a global call to arms seeking foreign fighters for the war effort. The Ukrainian Defense Ministry created an International Legion for foreign fighters coming into the country. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in March that at least 16,000 had signed up to join.
Three U.S. citizens fighting in Ukraine have reportedly gone missing in the country, with two presumed to have been captured by Russian forces. The Kremlin has said foreign fighters captured in Ukraine would not be treated as prisoners of war but as mercenaries and could face execution.
A State Department official told the Washington Examiner on Tuesday that citizens should not travel to Ukraine and are being singled out by Russian forces.
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“We once again reiterate U.S. citizens should not travel to Ukraine due to the active armed conflict and the singling out of U.S. citizens in Ukraine by Russian government security officials and that U.S. citizens in Ukraine should depart immediately if it is safe to do so using any commercial or other privately available ground transportation options,” the official said.
Zabielski is survived by his wife, five stepchildren, and many other family members, according to his obituary.
