Key Takeaways:
- The announcement that the Canadian Armed Forces would start training Ukrainian soldiers in a third country is expected from Anita Anand, the defence minister.
- Some regarded the sanctioning of all six former Operation Unifier commanders by Russia in April as proof that the mission had been successful.
Anita Anand, the minister of defense, is anticipated to reveal that the Canadian Armed Forces will begin instructing Ukrainian soldiers in a third nation.
The action was taken almost six months to the day after Canada’s previous training mission in Ukraine was halted, just weeks before Russian soldiers invaded the nation.
It also comes after the 150 Canadian soldiers sent to Poland in April to assist with the influx of Ukrainian refugees crossing the border returned on Sunday.
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The Canadian Press is informed by a senior government official who requested anonymity to speak about topics that have not yet been made public that the new mission will entail a sizeable contingent of troops and expand on the military support Canada has already provided to Ukraine.
This includes providing cyber help through Canada’s electronic spy agency, the Communications Security Establishment, and training Ukrainian forces on utilizing the four M777 howitzers that Canada donated earlier this year.
As soon as Moscow ordered the annexation of the Crimean peninsula in 2014 and began assisting pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States first initiated a mission to assist in training the Ukrainian military.
Before all Canadian forces were withdrawn in advance of Russia’s invasion, the federal government claims the operation, called Operation Unifier, assisted in training more than 30,000 Ukrainian soldiers.
Although the instructors eventually went back home, Canada has increased the extent of its military presence in Europe in reaction to the ongoing, six-month-old conflict.
That includes reinforcing a Canadian-led NATO fighting group in Latvia and the 150 service troops returning from Poland.
Russia sanctioned all six former Operation Unifier commanders in April, which some saw as evidence of the mission’s accomplishment.
Source: Global News
