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 up to 225 members of the Canadian Armed Forces will 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 in training Ukrainian soldiers in the basics of military service. “Doing training missions like this, helping our allies and partners when they’re under attack, that’s what we do,” Anand said during a mock news conference. “It is a priority for us as a country to stand shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine and our allies.” The move comes nearly six months after Canada suspended its previous training mission to 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 her country’s dismay at Ottawa’s decision to allow pipeline equipment that had been in Montreal for repairs to be returned to a Russian energy giant. The Ukrainian military has mounted a vigorous defense of its country since thousands of Russian forces launched their offensive on February 24. But these early battlefield successes and the ensuing bitter war in the east were not without cost. The Ukrainian government said in June that 10,000 of its soldiers had been killed by invading Russian forces, with thousands more wounded and missing. Officials 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 Unifier was suspended, including teaching them how to use four M777 howitzers donated by Canada earlier this year. But while those were limited efforts, Thursday’s announcement represented the full restart of Operation Unifier, which also included 225 Canadian trainers. It also follows British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s first proposal in June for his country to host an educational mission on its soil. “When we ceased military training and capacity building operations in Ukraine as part of Operation Unifier in early February, I committed to resuming those 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 making good on our promise to resume large-scale training under Operation Unifier.” British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace welcomed Canada’s decision. “I am pleased that the Canadian Armed Forces will join the growing international effort to support the training of Ukrainian soldiers in the United Kingdom,” Wallace said in a statement. “Canada’s expertise will further boost the program and ensure that Ukrainian men and women who come to the UK to train to defend their country will gain a large pool of experience and skills from both the UK forces and and from our international partners”. The first 90 Canadian soldiers from CFB Edmonton are scheduled to depart for a military base in southeastern 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 martial 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 backed 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 the Russian invasion. In April, Russia sanctioned all six former commanders of Operation Unifier, which some saw as evidence of the mission’s success. Anand also announced an agreement between the Canadian government and London-based General Dynamics Land Systems to deliver 39 brand new armored vehicles to Ukrainian forces in the coming weeks. “These vehicles will be delivered straight off the assembly line to meet some of Ukraine’s most pressing battlefield needs,” he said. “We are also equipping these vehicles with additional modern armor and state-of-the-art machine guns.” Western allies have donated billions of dollars in military weapons and equipment to Ukraine since mid-February, with Canada contributing $662 million in anti-tank rifles and snipers, 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 unintended or illegal purposes. While Canada is not involved in ongoing discussions with Ukraine about tracking such equipment, Anand acknowledged the importance of ensuring Canadian-supplied weapons are used for their intended purpose. Anand said she 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 an exemption from sanctions imposed on Russia to allow the return of a turbine to Russian state energy giant Gazprom. Kyiv has previously said the move sets a dangerous precedent by undermining sanctions imposed on Russia, which include specific measures against Gazprom, in response to its incursion into Ukraine. Ukraine’s ambassador Yulia Kovalev was expected to express her country’s disappointment during an appearance on Thursday before the House of Commons foreign affairs committee, which is studying the government’s decision. The turbine is intended for use on the Nord Stream 1 pipeline that supplies Germany with natural gas. Foreign Secretary Melanie Joly, who defended Siemens Energy being granted a turbine exemption, and Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson were also due to appear before the House of Commons foreign affairs committee. On Wednesday, Joly and German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock both 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 that will help NATO defend against foreign incursions into Romanian airspace. It is the seventh time Canada has sent fighter jets to Romania as part of NATO’s air policing mission since 2014. This report by The Canadian Press was first published on August 4, 2022
