Canada is sending military trainers to the UK to help teach Ukrainians how to fight off invading Russian forces.
Defense Minister Anita Anand announced the plan Thursday, saying that up to 225 members of the Canadian Armed Forces would eventually be based in Britain for an initial period of four months.
There they will work alongside their counterparts from Britain, the Netherlands and New Zealand to train Ukrainian soldiers in the basics of the militia.
“Training missions like this, helping our allies and partners when they’re under attack, that’s what we do,” Anand said during a virtual news conference. “It is a priority for us as a country to stand shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine and with our allies.”
The move comes nearly six months after Canada suspended its previous training mission in Ukraine, just weeks before Russian forces invaded the country in February.
It also came hours before Ukraine’s ambassador to Canada was expected to publicly express his country’s disappointment over Ottawa’s decision to allow pipeline crews in Montreal for repairs to be returned to a Russian energy giant.
The Ukrainian military has vigorously defended its country since thousands of Russian forces launched their assault on February 24. But those early battlefield successes and the subsequent war in the east have not been without cost.
what people are reading
The Ukrainian government reported in June that 10,000 of its soldiers had been killed since Russian forces invaded, with thousands more wounded and missing.
Authorities have also said that between 100 and 200 Ukrainian soldiers are killed every day and hundreds more are wounded.
Canadian troops continued to work with their Ukrainian counterparts even after the previous training mission known as Operation Unite was put on hold, including teaching how to use the four M777 howitzers that Canada donated earlier this year.
Canadian troops heading to the UK to train Ukrainian forces. #CDNPoli #CAF #Ukraine
But while those were limited efforts, Thursday’s announcement represented the full resumption of Operation Unification, which also included 225 Canadian trainers.
It also follows British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who first proposed in June that his country host a training mission on its soil.
“When we stopped our military training and capacity-building operations in Ukraine under Operation Unifier in early February, I made a commitment to resume these operations whenever and wherever possible,” Anand said.
“Canada is committed to supporting Ukraine’s short, medium and long-term defense needs. Therefore, I am announcing today that we are delivering on our promise to resume full-scale training under Operation Unifier.”
British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace welcomed Canada’s decision.
“I am delighted that the Canadian Armed Forces is joining the growing international effort to support the training of Ukrainian soldiers in the UK,” Wallace said in a statement.
“Canada’s experience will provide a further boost to the program and ensure that the Ukrainian men and women who come to the UK to train to defend their country gain extensive experience and skills from both UK forces and our international partners.”
The first 90 Canadian troops from CFB Edmonton are scheduled to leave for a military base in the southeastern part of Britain next week, according to Anand.
There, they and others will work with their Ukrainian counterparts for an initial period of four months, teaching them how to use their weapons, as well as first aid, basic tactics and military law.
Canada first launched a mission, along with Britain and the United States, to help train the Ukrainian military after Moscow annexed Crimea in 2014 and began supporting pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.
The federal government says the mission helped train more than 30,000 Ukrainian soldiers before all Canadian troops were evacuated ahead of Russia’s invasion.
In April, Russia sanctioned the six former commanders of Operation Unification, which some saw as evidence of the mission’s success.
Anand also announced an agreement between the Canadian government and London, Ontario-based General Dynamics Land Systems for the delivery of 39 new armored vehicles to Ukrainian forces in the coming weeks.
“These vehicles will be delivered straight from the assembly line to address some of Ukraine’s most pressing battlefield needs,” he said. “We are also equipping these vehicles with additional state-of-the-art modern machine guns and armor.”
Western allies have donated billions of dollars worth of weapons and military equipment to Ukraine since mid-February, and Canada has contributed $662 million worth of anti-tank and sniper rifles, drones, armored vehicles, artillery and ammunition.
The donations have raised some concerns about military equipment ending up on the black market or being used for unwanted or illicit purposes.
While Canada is not part of the ongoing discussions with Ukraine about tracking such equipment, Anand acknowledged the importance of ensuring Canadian-provided weapons are used for their intended purpose.
Anand said he had discussed the issue with Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov in January, “recognizing that it is an important issue for Canada and for Canadians.”
The minister, meanwhile, sidestepped a question about the government’s decision to grant Siemens Energy a waiver from sanctions imposed on Russia to allow the return of a turbine to Russian state-owned energy giant Gazprom.
Kyiv has previously said the move sets a dangerous precedent by undermining sanctions imposed on Russia, which include targeted measures against Gazprom, in response to its invasion of Ukraine.
Ukraine’s ambassador, Yulia Kovaliv, was expected to express her country’s disappointment during an appearance on Thursday before the House of Commons foreign affairs committee, which is considering the government’s decision.
The turbine is designed for use on the Nord Stream 1 pipeline that supplies natural gas to Germany.
Foreign Secretary Mélanie Joly, who has advocated granting Siemens Energy a sanctions waiver for the turbine, as well as Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson, will also appear before the House of Commons foreign affairs committee.
On Wednesday, Joly and German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock insisted that the return of the turbines used in the Russian pipeline was necessary.
The Canadian Armed Forces also announced Thursday that eight CF-18 fighter jets have arrived in Romania for a four-month deployment to help NATO protect against foreign incursions into Romanian airspace.
It is the seventh time Canada has sent fighter jets to Romania as part of NATO’s air surveillance mission since 2014.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on August 4, 2022.