In a statement, an official for the State Department said it was “aware” of reports about the 22-year-old's death and was “closely monitoring the situations.”
“He went there wanting to help people. He had always felt that that was his main mission in life,” Brittany Cancel told ABC News in a statement. “My husband was very brave and a hero.”
Details of how Willy Cancel died have not been disclosed, and his body has not yet been recovered, according to CNN. Cancel reportedly flew to Poland on March 12 and crossed over into Ukraine shortly afterward, joining people from multiple countries in Ukraine’s fight against the Russian invasion. In a statement, an official for the State Department said it was “aware” of reports about Cancel’s death and was “closely monitoring the situations.”
“Due to privacy considerations, we have no further comment,” the official added. “We once again reiterate 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 depart immediately if it is safe to do so, using any commercial or other privately available ground transportation options.
Thousands of deaths have been reported in Ukraine since Russia began its attack in February, including civilian deaths. The Associated Press reports Russia bombarded multiple targets this week, including Ukraine’s capital city of Kyiv, as Ukrainian President