(Tribune News Service) — A Waddington, N.Y., man doing volunteer humanitarian aid work in the Ukraine war zone was badly injured in a Russian missile strike.

Because of international logistical and diplomatic problems, his family is trying to raise funds to return him to the United States to finish his recovery.

Cristiano J. Zeledón, 24, was wounded June 27 when Russian troops fired missiles into the Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk in the Donetsk province, hitting a popular pizzeria where he was eating. He's recovering in a Ukrainian hospital from severe head injuries and burns. Ukrainian authorities have since arrested a man who they say helped direct the strike.

Zeledón's older sister, Marina N. LaBaff of Massena, N.Y., said her brother is a U.S. Marine veteran who was born and raised in St. Lawrence County. He has been studying pre-law at Hobart College and hopes to apply to Cornell Law School after finishing his undergraduate degree. Before volunteering in Ukraine, he was editing videos at LaBaff's photography studio, A Million Monarchs Boudoir Photography.

Zeledón became involved in Ukrainian humanitarian efforts through his partner's father, Mordecai "Moti" Kahana, an Israeli-American businessman and philanthropist who has been assisting with humanitarian efforts in Ukraine. Kahana has been getting millions of dollars in donations to buy medical supplies. He then handles the logistics of delivery. Zeledón had been delivering supplies. He is in Ukraine as a volunteer civilian, not employed by Kahana, the U.S. Marine Corps or the American government in any capacity.

LaBaff traveled with her brother on June 10, the day he flew overseas. They drove to Albany and from there took a train to New York City, arriving at Grand Central Station. She and her brother spoke at length during the journey, but the conversations had an eerie feel.

"It was very morbid to ride down with him and I had this gut feeling," she said. "The entire four hours from Northern New York to Albany, we had a lot of deep and thoughtful conversations and it was almost like he was giving me his last words."

A professional photographer, she started taking pictures of her brother at the station. He's usually camera shy.

"That day, for some reason, he played along," she said. "That's what I'm holding onto now, is we're going down the escalator in Albany and he's just smirking at me in his Hobart shirt."

Once they arrived at Grand Central Station, "we sat there and kind of soaked in the moments," LaBaff said. "When we walked away from each other, I actually turned around and watched him go down the escalator to keep eyes on him as long as I could."

Once Zeledón arrived in Ukraine, "we heard from him sporadically while he was there. He said he arrived safe."

On June 27, Zeledón and another humanitarian aid worker went to get pizza in Kramatorsk. It's a frontline city that houses the Ukrainian army's regional headquarters. Zeledón and his companion decided to go to Ria Lounge, known locally as Ria Pizza. The Associated Press said it's a restaurant "frequented by journalists, aid workers and soldiers, as well as locals." That's where Russian missiles were fired.

On June 28, "somebody from the Ukraine called us and said 'just to let you know, you may see a video circulating. That's your brother," LaBaff said.

The video, which went viral around the globe, showed the immediate aftermath of the pizza shop attack. It shows a man on the ground, barely conscious and bleeding from his head. That's Zeledón.

LaBaff said based on what they've heard from sources in Ukraine, "one of the things we think saved his life is he was sitting on the outside picnic area," rather than inside of the pizzeria.

"He's a 24-year-old humanitarian kid who just wanted a greasy piece of pizza and almost lost his life," LaBaff said.

The pizzeria strike killed 11 people, including three teenagers, and injured 61. Among the dead was popular Ukrainian author Victoria Amelina, who had been documenting Russian war crimes. That bombing was part of a wider attack on Kramatorsk on June 27. There were other missile strikes that damaged 18 multistory buildings, 65 houses, five schools, two kindergartens, a shopping center, an administrative building and a recreational building.

"When I got that call of Chris, we looked up that hashtag on Twitter and Instagram and he became the poster child for that incident," LaBaff said. "From there, information was very hard to get. We were told at first he just had a concussion. … You don't get just a concussion from this."

She said they were able to learn that Zeledón "had brain surgery, has burns all over his body." The injuries include at least two skull fractures, a brain bleed, ocular issues and burns on his legs and side.

That uncertainty was short-lived. Kahana linked Zeledón with the humanitarian Romulus T. Weatherman Foundation, which has been helping him get better medical care and also relays regular updates to his family in the United States.

"They actually came to his aid and were able to transport him from where the bombing was to a hospital with better neurosurgeons," LaBaff said, adding that her brother is due for a second brain surgery this week.

"(Kahana) does this all the time. He helps people. He connects people … he apparently had known of them before, so he was able to connect resources," she said.

"It was extremely scary, especially because we didn't have good info," LaBaff said. "The Weatherman Foundation has given us a lot of peace with the amount of information. They've been able to give us a lot of security because they're managing his health care very well. Before, we felt totally hopeless."

Although Zeledón is an American citizen, returning him to the United States is complicated. His family isn't sure when he'll be home.

"He will need private support for medical aid and to get him home. He's not covered under military insurance because he's not active duty," LaBaff said. "The United States embassy will not answer our cries for help to get him out."

"When you're a volunteer humanitarian, you're by yourself. You're on your own," she said. "He doesn't have the resources of the United States military."

LaBaff said she and her family started a crowdfund campaign on GoFundMe, but for unknown reasons it was flagged and blocked. They're now raising funds to bring Zeledón home through Spotfund.

"His home is wherever help is needed. On break from college he travels the world serving people in need for free," LaBaff said. "He is a young humanitarian of the world. He takes off with little cash and a backpack and just goes to help. He is not a well-funded college student, so he needs help between being in college, not working, not being under the United States military … it's critical we help him with this fund."

On top of the diplomatic and international logistical problems, Zeledón isn't yet stable enough to be moved overseas. LaBaff talked to him on the phone on Sunday, and "he can only say a few words at a time. It's very difficult for him to talk or think."

"It's very scary for us. We want to have him home and with U.S. doctors," she said.

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