Former US Marine Killed Fighting in Ukraine as Military Contractor

U.S. Marines take part in a joint amphibious assault exercise off the waters of South China Sea in Claveria, Cagayan province, Philippines, on March 31, 2022. Ezra Acayan/Getty Images

Willy Joseph Cancel, an American citizen and former U.S. Marine, has died in Ukraine this week while fighting against Russian forces, according to his family.

Cancel had been working for a private military contracting company when he was killed on April 25, the 22-year-old’s mother, Rebecca Cabrera, told CNN.