Joseph Hildebrand, 33, and others in the military unit he was volunteering for were killed over the weekend during a combat mission, family members said. They said they were called surviving soldiers and are currently guarding the bodies with their Ukrainian colleagues in enemy territory until arrangements can be made for their extraction. “We’re all together at the farm, trying to get more information,” Hildebrandt’s brother, Jake, said from his mother’s home near the village of Herbert, Sask., located 200 kilometers west of Regina. “I’m 35 and I have to arrange my brother’s body. This is as bad as it gets.” Joseph Hildebrand of Saskatchewan died fighting Russian forces in Ukraine, family members say. He previously served two tours in Afghanistan. (Joseph Hildebrand/Facebook) Jake said he was told his brother was one of a dozen soldiers – some Ukrainian, some from South America and elsewhere – who went on a mission near the besieged eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut in the Donetsk region. According to news reports, Russian forces have stepped up attacks on the city from multiple directions in recent days. The remaining 12,000 residents have been without electricity, natural gas and running water for more than two months. It is unclear how Joseph Hildebrand died, but Jake was told that nine of the 12 men on the expedition were killed. He will be greatly missed by his mother and three siblings, as well as his partner and her 12-year-old daughter, Jake said. Jake said his brother was “incredibly brave,” having enlisted in the Canadian Army and served two tours in Afghanistan. He saw combat, but also worked as a trainer for Afghan forces, Jake said. The family of Joseph Hildebrand says he died over the weekend fighting Russian forces in Ukraine. (Joseph Hildebrand/Facebook) Jake said his brother never talked much about Ukraine – they have no ethnic or family ties there – but just decided he wanted to help. He left in June. “He just made up his mind and went,” said his cousin, Carl. Carl said Joseph enjoyed hunting and spending time with his family. He was also an “extremely hard worker” on a local mixed farm operation. CBC News has reached out to Global Affairs Canada for more information.
