Defense Minister Anita Anand says Canada is sending military trainers to the UK to help teach Ukrainians how to fight invading Russian forces. It says up to 225 members of the Canadian Armed Forces will eventually be based in the UK for an initial period of four months. There they will work alongside their counterparts from Britain, the Netherlands and New Zealand in training Ukrainian troops in the basics of military service. In June, Ukraine reported that 10,000 of its soldiers had been killed by the invasion of Russian forces in February, with thousands more wounded and missing. A previous Canadian military training mission based in Ukraine was suspended just weeks before the invasion began. That mission, which also included 225 Canadian military trainers, began in 2014 after Moscow annexed the Crimean peninsula and began supporting pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine. The federal government says the mission, known as Operation Unifier, helped train more than 30,000 Ukrainian troops before all Canadian troops were withdrawn ahead of Russia’s attack. This report by The Canadian Press was first published on August 4, 2022
title: “Canadian Troops Are Headed To The Uk To Train Ukrainians " ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-03” author: “Lindsey Burchinal”
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. 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. The Ukrainian military has since mounted a vigorous defense of its country, though not without heavy costs. 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. Thursday’s announcement represents a repeat of Canada’s previous training mission to Ukraine, known as Operation Unifier, which also included 225 Canadian trainers. This follows British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s first proposal in June for his country to host a new training mission on its soil. 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 the Crimean peninsula 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 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, Ont.-based General Dynamics Land Systems to supply armored vehicles to Ukrainian forces. This report by The Canadian Press was first published on August 4, 2022
