Body of St. Catharines man who died fighting in Ukraine returned home

The body of Cole Zelenco, 21, from St. Catharines is now back home after he was killed while fighting in Ukraine. The North Wall Riders Association, a local motorcycle group from Hamilton made sure the hearse carrying Zelenco received a full procession along the highway.

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Zelco’s body arrived at Pearson Internation Airport Friday morning before making the journey to the Niagara region.

Keven Ellis from the North Wall Riders Association says, “For us, it’s about paying our respects to the families of the fallen, and whether they fell fighting for another country is irrelevant…”

Zelenco was a volunteer fighter with Ukrainian forces and he also served in the Canadian Armed Forces for four years. Members of the community came out to honour him.

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CHCH News spoke with Zelenco’s mother and she says she is so proud of her son and what he did for the people of Ukraine. A public funeral will be held for Zelenco in St. Catharine’s on Thursday, May, 25 at Club Roma.