Farewell ceremony was held in Kyiv for two American volunteers who died fighting for Ukraine. PHOTOS

On 1 October, a farewell ceremony was held in Kyiv for Benjamin Yu and Spencer Burns Mike — American volunteers who had joined the Ukrainian Armed Forces and were killed in action in eastern Ukraine.

This was reported by Censor.NET, citing Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

Details of the farewell

The farewell ceremony took place on Independence Square and later continued at the Roman Catholic parish of St Alexander. During the ceremony, the families of the deceased were presented with the flags of Ukraine and the US, which had been draped over their coffins.

Kyiv bids farewell to US volunteers Benjamin Yu and Spencer Burns Mick — Photo: Serhiy Nuzhnenko / Radio Free Europe

The American charity R. T. Weatherman Foundation helped organise the farewell; the organisation, in particular, supports the families of servicemen who have been killed or are missing in action.

What is known about the deceased

Spencer Burns Mick was born in Chicago in 1991. He studied at DePaul University, after which he worked on a bison ranch in Kansas. He served as a volunteer in the French Foreign Legion and the US Army’s 82nd Airborne Division.

Benjamin Yu had dreamt of becoming a pilot since childhood and had considered joining the US Air Force. According to his loved ones, he loved his family and animals, particularly his dog Lizzie. Realising that he lived a comfortable life, he felt he could not stand by whilst others suffered. His desire to help others and to seek a higher purpose in life led Benjamin to Ukraine, where he joined the ranks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.