Canadian special forces operating in Ukraine

 

 

Edmonton Journal 

Canadian special forces are in Ukraine as part of a NATO network to provide weapons, training and gather intelligence about the Russians, the New York Times is reporting.

Neither the Department of National Defence nor the office of Defence Minister Anita Anand would comment on the report published Saturday that noted a few dozen commandos from NATO countries, including Britain, France, Canada and Lithuania, had been working inside Ukraine. The United States withdrew its own 150 military instructors before the war began in February.

But the New York Times, citing three U.S. officials, reported that special forces from the NATO countries either remained or had gone in and out of Ukraine since then, training and advising Ukrainian troops and providing an on-the-ground conduit for weapons and other aid.

U.S. special forces have also established a coalition planning cell in Germany to co-ordinate military assistance to Ukrainian commandos and other Ukrainian troops, the New York Times reported. The cell, which has grown to 20 nations, is modelled after a similar structure the U.S. and its NATO allies used in Afghanistan.

U.S. Army Secretary Christine E. Wormuth has confirmed the cell provides intelligence and co-ordination for the flow of NATO weapons into Ukraine, allowing such convoys to avoid Russian attacks.

Both CTV and Global News reported in late January that Canadian special forces had been sent to Ukraine, but National Defence did not comment on that deployment.

The Liberal government is strongly supportive of Ukraine. It is still in discussions with South Korea to purchase 100,000 artillery shells for Ukraine in a deal that could cost Canadian taxpayers several hundred million dollars.

The Liberal government already spent $98 million to buy 20,000 similar artillery rounds from the U.S. for Ukraine. In addition, it has provided Ukraine with Canadian Forces M777 artillery guns that can use the 155-millimetre ammunition.