Patrick Mazerolle, a young Canadian, served on the front lines for Ukraine. He died fighting in 2025, and his body remains where he fell.
A Canadian In Ukraine
On Feb. 15, 2025, then 23-year-old Patrick Mazerolle, from Inkerman, N.B., left for Europe. Patrick told his parents that he was going for a two-week vacation to the United Kingdom. His real purpose was to go to Ukraine and enlist to fight on behalf of Ukraine.
Patrick isn’t Ukrainian and had no family or personal ties to Ukraine. He simply felt compelled to help and join the fight. He was enlisted with Ukraine’s Third Assault Brigade, First International Rifleman Battalion. For 94 days, he fought near the front lines in eastern Ukraine.
On September 1, 2025, Patrick was killed when a piece of shrapnel from a drone attack struck him in the head.
Unsung Hero
According to CTV News, there were two foreign fighters with Patrick when he was killed. They both credit Patrick with helping to save their lives during their initial anxious days on the front lines. Patrick showed them how to move from one position to the next while under a constant barrage of Russian artillery. On multiple occasions they watched Patrick run into enemy fire to retrieve a fallen soldier on the battlefield, saving multiple lives.
On the day Patrick was killed they were taking cover from heavy shelling. He died in the Luhansk region, near the Russian border on the eastern front. He was hero to those he served with.
His family have been unable to retrieve his body and fully expect that the war will need to end before they can go to the site. Marc, his father, is working to assist international families like his who have lost a loved one during this horrific war. The goal is to create a central hub in Kyiv for everyone to work together from.
Canada is one of 90 countries with citizens involved in the war in Ukraine.
Patrick’s is only one story of thousands who have lost their lives in this needless, brutal war. I’ve stood in Kyiv where flags have been placed in a high traffic area in memory of those who have lost their lives.
Patrick’s dad added his flag to the others.
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