FL Man Dies While Fighting In Russia-Ukraine War

HERNANDO, FL — A Florida man was killed during combat in the Russia-Ukraine war last month.

Stephen D. “Steve” Zabielski of Hernando died while fighting in the village of Dorozhniank, according to his obituary in The Recorder, an upstate New York newspaper.

Rolling Stone reported that the U.S. Army veteran was killed by a landmine.

The State Department confirmed that the 52-year-old New York native was the second known American killed in the conflict in Ukraine, NBC News said. The department said that it’s contacted Zabielski’s family to offer consular assistance.

The first American killed while fighting in the war was 22-year-old Willy Joseph Cancel, an ex-Marine who had been working as a corrections officer in Tennessee before joining a private military contractor that sent him to Ukraine in late February, according to the Guardian.

Zabielski’s was born in Amsterdam, New York and lived in the area until 2018, when he moved to Florida. He worked in construction for more than 30 years.

He was described in his obituary as a person who “enjoyed life to the fullest” and enjoyed hunting, fishing and riding his Harley motorcycle.