A New Brunswick father is preparing to travel to war-torn to seek answers about his son’s death — one of 27 Canadians the federal government said have died in that country during the war.
Marc Mazerolle will be flying out from his home in Inkerman, N.B., this week and hopes to find his son’s remains to bring back to Canada.
“I don’t blame nobody, you know, it’s just the speed of the system,” he said. “It’s long and it’s frustrating for families because we don’t got much answer.”
His son Patrick, 24, was killed while volunteering to fight for the Ukrainian army last fall.
Mazerolle didn’t even know his son had joined the fight until Patrick was already there.
The family believed Patrick had travelled to the U.K. on vacation. Instead, he had made the trek to Poland and volunteered to fight in the Russian-Ukrainian war.
“Patrick was a good kid, he was a good soul. All his intentions was good. I’m not sure he was ready to really understand what he was getting into,” said Mazerolle.
“He said, ‘I’m going to get out of there a better person, You’ll be so proud of me.’”
Mazerolle said his son was killed in the Russian-occupied Luhansk Oblast area, and he understands it would require a ceasefire in order for it to be remotely possible to repatriate his son’s remains.
His family has worked desperately to get as much information about Patrick’s final days as possible. After speaking out last year and sharing their story, Mazerolle said others on the front lines have come forward with vital news.
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“(We) talked to the last soldier who was with him when he was alive. So now we know that Patrick died on Sept. 1 between 8:00 and 8.15 in the morning. I got a location within 20 metres where his remain is,” he said.
Mazerolle and his wife have submitted DNA and provided DNA from Patrick to Canadian authorities but without a centralized system, the process has been stalled.
While he’s been in contact with Global Affairs Canada and independent agencies that help repatriate soldiers, it’s been a complicated and difficult process, and one the family has had to navigate alone.
“In Canada, we don’t have much support. Like the government is trying but it’s such a slow process,” he said.
“We gave Patrick’s DNA and our DNA within the first week after the incident. I don’t even got confirmation that Patrick’s are in the system in Ukraine yet.”
Global Affairs Canada doesn’t track how many Canadians have gone to Ukraine to fight nor does it keep a registry of Canadians who have been injured or killed.
“Like all Canadian citizens abroad, these individuals are not required to register with the Government of Canada, and there is no legal mechanism to compel them to do so,” a spokesperson told Global News in an email.
“(Global Affairs Canada) is aware of the deaths of 27 Canadian citizens in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022. This figure includes all causes of death.”
University of Ottawa researcher Jean-François Ratelle estimates there have been around 130 to 150 Canadian fighters in Ukraine at any given time since the war started in 2022.
Taking into account the number of deaths from Global Affairs Canada, Ratelle said that means the fatality rate for fighters could be as high as 20 per cent.
“(That’s) quite high for a war where the Canadian army and the Canadian government is not directly involved,” said Ratelle.
To honour Canadians killed or wounded, the Ukrainian Canadian Congress has given out 14 Ukrainian Canadian Sacrifice Medals. Patrick Mazerolle is among the latest recipients.
“It is both an honour for our community but also a deeply sombre and moving and sad thing that we do,” said Orest Zakydalsky, senior policy adviser with the organization.
When asked if he had a message for other Canadians who volunteer to fight in Ukraine, Mazerolle said he understands they may want to help but he believes there are other ways to go about it without putting themselves in danger.
He said he’s heard from other Canadians struggling because a loved one volunteered, saying,”They kind of disappeared without telling them exactly where they were going.”
Although the search for answers has been hard, Mazerolle said he feels compelled to continue and plans to start a non-profit to help other families in the same situation.
“We’re doing that to help out other families, but in the same process (we hope it will) give us a better chance to bring him back home,” he said with emotion.
“It’s sad, but I’ll be proud of that kid for the rest of my days. It takes a lot of courage to go there, believe me.”
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