A 22-year-old former US Marine was killed after being hired to fight for Ukraine, reports say

CNN reported on Thursday that a 22-year-old American was killed in Ukraine after being hired to fight for the war-torn nation.

The mother of a man who was paid by a private military contracting company to take part in combat in Ukraine said that her son was a former US marine.

According to CNN, Cancel's body has not been found.

Cancel had a full-time job as a corrections officer in Tennessee and took up part-time work with the military company before the war in Ukraine began, according to CNN.

Cancel agreed to go when contractors were asked to fight in Ukraine. His mother said he flew to Poland on March 12.

—Clint Ehrlich (@ClintEhrlich) April 29, 2022

He wanted to go over because he believed in what the Ukrainians were fighting for, and he wanted to be a part of it to stop it from coming here.

Cancel is survived by his wife and son. His widow, Brittany Cancel, told Fox News that his main mission in life was to help others.

She said that her husband was a hero and that she did not expect to be a widow at 23 years old. All I want is for him to come home and be buried properly.

An official from the State Department told CNN that it is aware of the reports and is closely monitoring them.

We once again reiterate that US citizens should not travel to Ukraine due to the active armed conflict and the singling out of US citizens in Ukraine by Russian government security officials, and that US citizens in Ukraine should leave immediately if it is safe to do so, using any commercial or other privately.

The State Department didn't respond to a request from Insider.

The UK Foreign Office said it was looking for information about another British citizen who had gone missing in Ukraine after it was confirmed that a British national had been killed.

A former British soldier is thought to be the one who was killed.

In late February, the International Legion will be formed by the Ukrainian government in order to fight off Russian invaders. More than 20,000 people from over 50 countries have joined the force.