<span class="tgam-button__content">Digital + home delivery</span></a></div></div><div class=""></div></header><div class="PersistentArticle__StyledHeader-sc-18bsgul-0 ipVrsV tgam-persistent-article"><button aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="menuList" aria-label="Open main menu" class="Button__StyledButton-sc-1kw4esu-1 UhMK tgam-button tgam-button--icon-grey text-gml-2 tgam-button--no-child hamburgerButton" data-sophi-action="open hamburger menu" data-sophi-feature="hamburger-menu-sidemenu"><svg class="button-menu-large tgam-button__icon c-button__icon" width="1rem" height="1rem" role="img" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false" pointer-events="none"><use xlink:href="#menu-large"></use></svg></button><div class="HeaderLogo__LogoWrapper-sc-36iv05-0 dIUsVO logo PersistentArticle__StyledLogo-sc-18bsgul-1 fYWDft"><a href="/" aria-label="The Globe and Mail" data-sophi-label="the globe and mail logo" class="header-logo-link"><svg role="img" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false" pointer-events="none"><use xlink:href="#globe-leaf"></use></svg></a></div><div class="PersistentArticle__StyledHeadline-sc-18bsgul-2 lwOLF text-pb-9">Canadian volunteer soldier who formed Norman Brigade killed in eastern Ukraine</div><div class="PersistentArticle__StyledRightArea-sc-18bsgul-4 dJkAGJ"><a aria-label="Ad Choices" class="Button__StyledButton-sc-1kw4esu-1 UhMK tgam-button tgam-button--icon-light text-gml-2 tgam-button--no-child adChoices" href="/adchoices/"><svg class="button-adchoices tgam-button__icon c-button__icon" width="1rem" height="1rem" role="img" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false" pointer-events="none"><use xlink:href="#adchoices"></use></svg></a></div></div><div class="c-ad--base c-ad--base-min" style="--c-ad-base-min-height:18.125rem"></div><div id="fusion-static-enter:raw-html-block-f0fhnyznD09l1VQ" style="display:none" data-fusion-component="raw-html-block-f0fhnyznD09l1VQ"></div><div id="raw-html-block-f0fhnyznD09l1VQ" class=""><style> .l-article .c-article-body__li { font-size: 1.25rem; line-height: 1.5; } </style></div><div id="fusion-static-exit:raw-html-block-f0fhnyznD09l1VQ" style="display:none" data-fusion-component="raw-html-block-f0fhnyznD09l1VQ"></div></div><main id="main-content" class="l-grid l-grid--article-sidebar"><div class="l-grid l-grid-article-attic"><div class="l-main"><div class="l-article-title"><header><span class="default__StyledLabel-sc-1jfa25h-0 c-label mb-16 text-gmr-4 font-gmsans-bold"></span><div id="skip-link-target" tabindex="-1"><h1 class="c-primary-title article-title text-pb-5 c-primary-title-news">Canadian volunteer soldier who formed Norman Brigade killed in eastern Ukraine</h1></div></header></div><div class="l-grid l-grid--main"><div class="default__LayoutContainer-sc-1puaqpm-0 gzbPxE" id="c0f3F47tDNih73u"><section class="default__StyledArticleMeta-sc-j9q6w6-0 dCnxlb text-gmr-5 c-article-meta" data-sophi-feature="article meta"><div class="o-media"><div class="o-media__body"><div class="c-article-meta__author-info"><a class="BylineWithBeats__StyledBylineLink-sc-15ymtyr-1 eFiWik mr-16 text-gml-3 pb-8" href="/cats-d8c4vu/www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theglobeandmail.com%2Fworld%2Farticle-quebec-volunteer-soldier-who-formed-norman-brigade-killed-in-eastern%2F%3Futm_medium%3DReferrer%3A%2BSocial%2BNetwork%2B%2F%2BMedia%26utm_campaign%3DShared%2BWeb%2BArticle%2BLinks&title=Canadian%20volunteer%20soldier%20who%20formed%20Norman%20Brigade%20killed%20in%20eastern%20Ukraine"><svg class="button-linkedin tgam-button__icon c-button__icon" width="1rem" height="1rem" role="img" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false" pointer-events="none"><use xlink:href="#linkedin"></use></svg></a><a class="Button__StyledButton-sc-1kw4esu-1 biBhB tgam-button tgam-button--icon-grey text-gml-2 tgam-button--no-child c-button" data-sophi-feature="social share tools" data-sophi-label="Share on Reddit" href="/cats-d8c4vu/sec.theglobeandmail.com/user/register?intcmp=bookmark" style="padding:var(--space-8)"><span class="tgam-button__content">Create Free Account</span></a></div></div><p class="c-article-body__text text-pr-5">Through two years of war in Ukraine, the man they called Hrulf was something of a mythical figure. The Quebecker had formed a unit of foreign fighters, known as the Norman Brigade, but while they had a large social media presence, it was hard to find them on the battlefield.</p><p class="c-article-body__text text-pr-5">But there was no question that Hrulf and his men were on the front line in eastern Ukraine last week when an operation, the details of which remain a closely guarded secret, went awry. The unit took heavy Russian fire, and 38-year-old Hrulf – a Canadian military veteran whose real name was Jean-François Ratelle – was killed in action, making him the 10th Canadian known to have died on the front lines in the war for Ukraine.</p><p class="c-article-body__text text-pr-5">“He fought till the end and is an absolute legend. We need to honour him now,” said another French-Canadian, code-named Speedy to protect his identity, fighting on the front lines in eastern Ukraine.</p><div class="c-ad--base l-media"></div><p class="c-article-body__text text-pr-5">Not everyone was a fan of the Norman Brigade. In an exchange of messages with The Globe and Mail over the months before his death, Hrulf acknowledged that his team had perhaps rushed too quickly to the front line in the early weeks of the <a href="/cats-d8c4vu/globeandmail.my.site.com/helpcentre/s/report-an-error" class="text-gmr-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Report an editorial error</a></p><p class="default__StyledReportAnError-sc-qzveog-1 JuuUX"><a href="/cats-d8c4vu/www.theglobeandmail.com/resizer/v2/ATBXOKG3ZFDCXBPYYODNPL25IE.jpg?auth=1063472f26ea20c1e5c0f0f82046bca9d40a88e988cd9a6b2e88efa8e2d8ee5f&width=300&height=200&quality=80&smart=true" srcSet="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/resizer/v2/ATBXOKG3ZFDCXBPYYODNPL25IE.jpg?auth=1063472f26ea20c1e5c0f0f82046bca9d40a88e988cd9a6b2e88efa8e2d8ee5f&width=300&height=200&quality=80&smart=true 300w,https://www.theglobeandmail.com/resizer/v2/ATBXOKG3ZFDCXBPYYODNPL25IE.jpg?auth=1063472f26ea20c1e5c0f0f82046bca9d40a88e988cd9a6b2e88efa8e2d8ee5f&width=600&height=400&quality=80&smart=true 600w" width="70" data-aspect-ratio-debug="known-height desired[3:2] selected[3:2] available[r1xI,r1x1,r3x2]"/></div><div class="Container__StyledContainer-sc-15gjlsr-0 hAGovc Flex__StyledFlex-sc-1xx9x1w-0 PtpdO"><h3 class="reset text-pb-8" data-headline="hover"><span>Ukraine claims to have halted Russian offensive in key town, but Moscow says it will keep pushing</span><span class="HeadlineWithIcon__StyledIconWrapper-sc-1prtbfi-1 jSOtqO"></span></h3></div></a></div></div><div class="Container__StyledContainer-sc-15gjlsr-0 hWPJHz Flex__StyledFlex-sc-1xx9x1w-0 bnPlfb related-personal-finance-mobile"><div class="Container__StyledContainer-sc-15gjlsr-0 hWPJHz CardImage__StyledCardImage-sc-152klk0-0 hNXAWk"><a href="/world/article-russian-forces-advance-in-ukraines-east/" class="CardLink__StyledCardLink-sc-2nzf9p-0 fXiUva" data-sophi-label="Russian forces advance in Ukraine’s east" data-lt-pos="art:world:bottom furniture: related articles"><div class="Container__StyledContainer-sc-15gjlsr-0 hWPJHz Grid__StyledGrid-sc-140zq2o-0 hjxDiI"><div class="Image__StyledImageWrapper-sc-2118b8-0 gSYAEG c-image-wrapper"><img alt="Black smoke ascends following shelling in the area of Ocherytne in the Donetsk region, on April 28, 2024, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. 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two years of war in Ukraine, the man they called Hrulf was something of a mythical figure. The Quebecker had formed a unit of foreign fighters, known as the Norman Brigade, but while they had a large social media presence, it was hard to find them on the battlefield."},{"_id":"ROZ2NPV7E5ABRFDMDSRS5BUD24","type":"text","additional_properties":{"_id":1711028946337},"content":"But there was no question that Hrulf and his men were on the front line in eastern Ukraine last week when an operation, the details of which remain a closely guarded secret, went awry. The unit took heavy Russian fire, and 38-year-old Hrulf – a Canadian military veteran whose real name was Jean-François Ratelle – was killed in action, making him the 10th Canadian known to have died on the front lines in the war for Ukraine."},{"_id":"TISNPMA5GBEBZLIRPRM62PVVHI","type":"text","additional_properties":{"_id":1711028946338},"content":"“He fought till the end and is an absolute legend. We need to honour him now,” said another French-Canadian, code-named Speedy to protect his identity, fighting on the front lines in eastern Ukraine."},{"_id":"JOZQPRUWUZG7JKBOCAOLMPQWWQ","type":"text","additional_properties":{"_id":1711028946339},"content":"Not everyone was a fan of the Norman Brigade. In an exchange of messages with The Globe and Mail over the months before his death, Hrulf acknowledged that his team had perhaps rushed too quickly to the front line in the early weeks of the <a href=\"https://www.theglobeandmail.com/topics/ukraine/\" target=\"_blank\">Russian invasion</a>. They weren’t prepared for the battles they found themselves in, and several members quit, complaining about Hrulf’s leadership."},{"_id":"KRX55KQXKFEHTGIYMSPQPTK6YA","type":"text","additional_properties":{"_id":1711028946340},"content":"Other foreign fighters in Ukraine said they stayed clear of the unit because of its association with the far right. The Norman Brigade was part of the Ukrainian Volunteer Army formed by Dmytro Yarosh, a far-right politician who has been used by the Kremlin to highlight the presence of neo-Nazis in Ukraine – even though he wields no power in the country. Russian propaganda channels also referred to the Norman Brigade as “mercenaries,” though they were largely self-funded through donations."},{"_id":"JHF4PVZGPJCJXH5DZ35KK2XUXM","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/l_0dPpdqqZWlSVqJoeQn39d9NBY=/arc-anglerfish-tgam-prod-tgam/public/JHF4PVZGPJCJXH5DZ35KK2XUXM.png","galleries":[],"ingestionMethod":"manual","mime_type":"image/png","originalName":"Screenshot 2024-03-21 at 10.47.44 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were also those in and outside Ukraine who mocked Hrulf and his unit as being more interested in selling merchandise online – everything from duffel bags to coffee cups emblazoned with the Norman Brigade’s logo, which features both the maple leaf and the fleur-de-lis – than in fighting. But Hrulf, who told his comrades that he had also served in the French Foreign Legion, railed against the idea that his unit was the “urban legend” it was sometimes made out to be."},{"_id":"JZALR5UGWBHN3OAFQ6H5B5XVPE","type":"text","additional_properties":{"_id":1711028946342},"content":"“He was very, very proud to have served in the French Foreign Legion,” said Dave Smith, another Canadian military veteran serving in Ukraine. “He was very proud to say that Ukraine was his third army and that he enjoyed serving in all three of them.”"},{"_id":"YTZGZMYGBRGYRB7QYZGZYEV7KU","type":"text","additional_properties":{"_id":1711044199690},"content":"A spokesperson for the Department of National Defence confirmed that Jean-François Ratelle had served as an artillery specialist in the Canadian military between 2002 and 2005. He had no overseas deployments."},{"_id":"WPGVTP56AFFKNCZVFXFRYCCDBY","type":"text","additional_properties":{"_id":1711028946343},"content":"Hrulf vowed in late 2022 that he would reconstitute the Norman Brigade – after its partial dissolution at the beginning of the war. By then it had thousands of followers on Facebook and X but only perhaps a dozen fighters. He appeared to have made progress recently, with the unit posting a video on March 10 that showcased their readiness for battle."},{"_id":"AAZ2RFQMVZD3ZLBFI44LAQXHFQ","type":"text","additional_properties":{"_id":1711028946344},"content":"“We have been busting our ballz with training,” the unit declared on its social media accounts, over a video of troops taking part in urban warfare drills. “It’s now paying off.”"},{"_id":"KPRMAIVHWREFFFTAJDSKO7QVRM","type":"text","additional_properties":{"_id":1711028946345},"content":"Less than a week later, Hrulf was dead. Russian propaganda channels have claimed that at least two other members of the Norman Brigade were killed in the same clash. Ukrainian military sources said they can’t comment on an ongoing operation."},{"_id":"ZHM66E675FHONBR2FAVAUPOVGU","type":"text","additional_properties":{"_id":1711028946346},"content":"Friends said Hrulf, a native of Joliette, Que., was initially drawn to Ukraine by love. He arrived in the country and got married before the start of the war and initially formed the Norman Brigade to defend his wife’s home village in the south of Ukraine."},{"_id":"C7I3QKTPMFFY3LTA7QDEOGZRDU","type":"text","additional_properties":{"_id":1711028946347},"content":"Though he later got divorced and saw his unit fall apart, Hrulf stayed in Ukraine and kept looking for ways to get back to the front line."},{"_id":"KJFUOQJEIFB5XGVIKSOGUOW5WQ","type":"text","additional_properties":{"_id":1711028946348},"content":"“He was desperate to get into it, for whatever reason. The guy walked the walk at the end of the day,” said Donald Bowser, a Canadian security consultant with a long history in Ukraine. Mr. Bowser first got into an online argument with Hrulf but later came to know and respect him personally. “He died in action. He died doing what he wanted to do.”"},{"_id":"B6LZFKJZ25DKNAFLEUKHPX2CS4","type":"text","additional_properties":{"_id":1711028946349},"content":"Anna Filippova, a Ukrainian nurse who met Hrulf as he was shopping for a new mobile phone on the second day of the war, described her friend as a leader who drew people to him. “He was the pillar of his team,” she said."},{"_id":"JZLFOOCM4JG4FHZMCETXZNMHTE","type":"text","additional_properties":{"_id":1711028946350},"content":"Ms. Filippova said she had spoken to the surviving members of the Norman Brigade, who said they intended to honour their fallen commander by keeping the unit alive. “The guys confirmed to me that Norman Brigade will keep operating and they will continue what Hrulf started,” she said."}],"credits":{"by":[{"_id":"635923","type":"author","version":"0.5.8","name":"Mark MacKinnon","org":"London, U.K.","image":{"url":"https://author-service-images-prod-us-east-1.publishing.aws.arc.pub/tgam/5f8bd3c2-adf1-400e-b3f8-099f0d0fdfb5.png","version":"0.5.8","authToken":"d50250afb5b0085e45c7e1c4833c6c4cdf0bf8059f696e6cfda92d821eb231f0","resized_urls":{"w1200":{"r3x2":"https://www.theglobeandmail.com/resizer/v2/https%3A%2F%2Fauthor-service-images-prod-us-east-1.publishing.aws.arc.pub%2Ftgam%2F5f8bd3c2-adf1-400e-b3f8-099f0d0fdfb5.png?auth=d50250afb5b0085e45c7e1c4833c6c4cdf0bf8059f696e6cfda92d821eb231f0&width=1200&height=800&quality=80&smart=true","r1x1":"https://www.theglobeandmail.com/resizer/v2/https%3A%2F%2Fauthor-service-images-prod-us-east-1.publishing.aws.arc.pub%2Ftgam%2F5f8bd3c2-adf1-400e-b3f8-099f0d0fdfb5.png?auth=d50250afb5b0085e45c7e1c4833c6c4cdf0bf8059f696e6cfda92d821eb231f0&width=1200&height=1200&quality=80&smart=true"},"w900":{"r3x2":"https://www.theglobeandmail.com/resizer/v2/https%3A%2F%2Fauthor-service-images-prod-us-east-1.publishing.aws.arc.pub%2Ftgam%2F5f8bd3c2-adf1-400e-b3f8-099f0d0fdfb5.png?auth=d50250afb5b0085e45c7e1c4833c6c4cdf0bf8059f696e6cfda92d821eb231f0&width=900&height=600&quality=80&smart=true","r1x1":"https://www.theglobeandmail.com/resizer/v2/https%3A%2F%2Fauthor-service-images-prod-us-east-1.publishing.aws.arc.pub%2Ftgam%2F5f8bd3c2-adf1-400e-b3f8-099f0d0fdfb5.png?auth=d50250afb5b0085e45c7e1c4833c6c4cdf0bf8059f696e6cfda92d821eb231f0&width=900&height=900&quality=80&smart=true"},"w600":{"r3x2":"https://www.theglobeandmail.com/resizer/v2/https%3A%2F%2Fauthor-service-images-prod-us-east-1.publishing.aws.arc.pub%2Ftgam%2F5f8bd3c2-adf1-400e-b3f8-099f0d0fdfb5.png?auth=d50250afb5b0085e45c7e1c4833c6c4cdf0bf8059f696e6cfda92d821eb231f0&width=600&height=400&quality=80&smart=true","r1x1":"https://www.theglobeandmail.com/resizer/v2/https%3A%2F%2Fauthor-service-images-prod-us-east-1.publishing.aws.arc.pub%2Ftgam%2F5f8bd3c2-adf1-400e-b3f8-099f0d0fdfb5.png?auth=d50250afb5b0085e45c7e1c4833c6c4cdf0bf8059f696e6cfda92d821eb231f0&width=600&height=600&quality=80&smart=true"},"w300":{"r3x2":"https://www.theglobeandmail.com/resizer/v2/https%3A%2F%2Fauthor-service-images-prod-us-east-1.publishing.aws.arc.pub%2Ftgam%2F5f8bd3c2-adf1-400e-b3f8-099f0d0fdfb5.png?auth=d50250afb5b0085e45c7e1c4833c6c4cdf0bf8059f696e6cfda92d821eb231f0&width=300&height=200&quality=80&smart=true","r1x1":"https://www.theglobeandmail.com/resizer/v2/https%3A%2F%2Fauthor-service-images-prod-us-east-1.publishing.aws.arc.pub%2Ftgam%2F5f8bd3c2-adf1-400e-b3f8-099f0d0fdfb5.png?auth=d50250afb5b0085e45c7e1c4833c6c4cdf0bf8059f696e6cfda92d821eb231f0&width=300&height=300&quality=80&smart=true"}}},"description":"Mark MacKinnon is The Globe and Mail’s Senior International Correspondent, based in London, England.","url":"/authors/mark-mackinnon/","image":"https://author-service-images-prod-us-east-1.publishing.aws.arc.pub/tgam/5f8bd3c2-adf1-400e-b3f8-099f0d0fdfb5.png","altByline":"Mark MacKinnon","twitter":"markmackinnon","byline":"Mark MacKinnon","bio":"Mark MacKinnon is The Globe and Mail’s Senior International Correspondent, based in London, England.","email":"mmackinnon@globeandmail.com","contributor":false,"role":"Correspondent","slug":"mark-mackinnon","firstName":"Mark","longBio":"<p>Mark MacKinnon has been covering international affairs and Canada’s role in the world since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the United States and the subsequent war in Afghanistan.</p>\n\n<p>Since that moment, he has covered elections and wars, revolutions and refugee crises, in all corners of the world.</p>\n\n<p>One of Canada’s most decorated foreign correspondents, Mark has won the National Newspaper Award seven times, and was nominated for an eighth award in 2022 for his <a href=\"https://www.theglobeandmail.com/world/article-ukrainians-at-war/\" target=_blank>ongoing coverage of the Russian invasion of Ukraine</a>.</p>\n\n<p>Mark has been <a href=\"https://www.theglobeandmail.com/world/article-vladimir-putins-war-of-fog-how-the-russian-president-used-deceit/\" target=_blank>covering Russia and Ukraine since 2002</a>, when he was first sent abroad to serve as The Globe and Mail’s Moscow bureau chief. 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He covered the initial arrival of Canadian troops in Afghanistan in 2002, <a href=\"https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/fear-melts-away-at-last-in-the-heart-of-baghdad/article22393943/\" target=_blank>the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq,</a> Israel’s 2005 withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war. He also reported on the <a href=\"https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/the-china-diaries/china-at-the-crossroads-of-renewal-and-breakdown/article10579845/\" target=_blank>2013 transition of power in China from Hu Jintao to Xi Jinping</a>.</p>\n\n<p>He has also won accolades for his <a href=\"https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/spinning-tragedy-the-true-cost-of-a-t-shirt/article14849193/\" target=_blank>investigations into the garment industry in Asia</a> and for his reporting from the 2011 tsunami and nuclear disaster in Japan.</p>\n\n<p>Mark is the author of The New Cold War: Revolutions, Rigged Elections and Pipeline Politics, which was published in 2007 by Random House, and The China Diaries, an e-book of his train travels through the Middle Kingdom along with photographer John Lehmann.</p>\n\n<p>Mark has interviewed many world leaders, including Volodymyr Zelensky, Shimon Peres and Aung San Suu Kyi, and Jordan’s King Abdullah II.</p>\n\n<p>He now divides his time between London and Kyiv.</p>","books":[{"title":"The New Cold War","url":"https://penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/105608/new-cold-war#9780679314479","publisher":"Random House Canada"},{"title":"The China Diaries","url":"https://www.theglobeandmail.com/globeproducts/globe-ebooks/","publisher":"The Globe and Mail"}],"podcasts":[],"education":[{"name":"Bachelor of Journalism, Carleton University, 1997"}],"awards":[{"name":"2021 - National Newspaper Award, International Reporting, for stories about the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan"},{"name":"2017 - Story of the Year for \"The Graffiti Kids Who Sparked the Syrian War\" - Foreign Press Association (UK) "},{"name":"2016 - Journalist of the Year - National Newspaper Awards"},{"name":"2016 - National Newspaper Award, International Reporting, for coverage of the Syrian refugee crisis and its fallout"},{"name":"2014 - National Newspaper Award, International Reporting, for coverage of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine"},{"name":"2011 - National Newspaper Award, Breaking News, for coverage of the tsunami and nuclear disaster in Japan"},{"name":"2011 - National Newspaper Award, Business Reporting, for coverage of the Sino-Forest scandal (with Andy Hoffman)"},{"name":"2003 - National Newspaper Award, Short Features, for a story about life, love, and war in a leper colony in Iraq"},{"name":"1999 - National Newspaper Award, Business Reporting, as part of a team that exposed insider trading on Canadian stock exchanges"}],"type":"author","expertise":"International relations, Canada’s role in the world","languages":"English, French, Russian, conversational Arabic and Chinese (putonghua)","author_type":"Staff","facebook":"https://www.facebook.com/mark.mackinnon.globe/","custom_tgam_year_start_journalism":"1996","custom_tgam_year_start":"1998","status":true,"beat":"Senior International Correspondent","custom_tgam_why":"I started out wanting to witness history. 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