The Canada-Ukraine Link

"The Canadian military contribution being announced today will help Ukrainian forces personnel to better defend their country's sovereignty and territorial integrity."
Prime Minister Stephen Harper

"Let there be no doubt that (Russian President Vladimir) Putin's aggression in Ukraine is not an isolated concern."
"This is why we believe, with our allies, that a message of resolve and deterrence is the best way to prevent a miscalculation with Mr. Putin."
Jason Kenney, Canadian Minister of Defence

Ukrainian servicemen take part in a military drill in the Zhytomyr region, some 150 kms from Kiev, on April 9, 2015 (AFP Photo/Anatolii Stepanov)

The Government of Canada has committed newly to a two-year placement of 200 Canadian military personnel in Ukraine to help train Ukrainian military in ways to head off any future conflict with Russia. The defence of Ukraine's borders is an issue that Canada recognizes as vital to east European stability, particularly in view of Moscow's treatment of those borders as porous, and parts of eastern Ukraine ripe for the plucking for the Russian federation.

The support in equipment and military personnel that Russia has provided to the separatist ethnic-Russian Ukrainian forces, while denied by Moscow, are a verifiable fact. The annexation of Crimea is yet another fact; taken by force of arms and a triumphant entitlement, undenied by Moscow since it too is verifiable as a fait accompli, one that is unlikely to be reversed, despite Kyiv's statements to the contrary.

The issue now is to ensure that no additional parts of Ukraine's geography migrate to Russian possession, that the border remain immovable at this juncture.

Canada's Minister of Defence has emphasized that Canadian soldiers will be present in Ukraine in a non-combat role. Their task is to be strictly confined to tutelage, and they are to be based on the border with Poland, 1,300 kilometres from the front lines. Should the situation in Ukraine deteriorate and revert back to outright combat the Canadian soldiers can be readily evacuated to safety.

The deployment breaks down as:

• 150 Canadian troops at main training centre in western Ukraine;
• 25-30 Canadian soldiers involved in counter-explosive training in southwest Ukraine;
• 5 Canadians assisting in medical training;
• 15 Canadian military police trainers;
• 5 - 10 Flight safety personnel for training;
• 5 Canadian personnel involved in logistical training.

In August, Vladimir Putin made a point of reminding the West that Russia possesses nuclear weapons. "This is a reality, not just words", he said to a Russian audience. In a recent television documentary Mr. Putin stated he had been prepared to place Russian nuclear forces on alert while his troops took possession of Crimea from Ukraine.

The Canadian training is set to take place at a NATO centre in Yavoriv, western Ukraine, close to the border with Poland. Some training will take place at the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence Demining Centre, Kamyanets-Podilsky, in western Ukraine. The Canadian Forces members to be deployed "on both a sustained and periodic basis", depending on the type of training undertaken.

Activities are to include: explosive ordnance disposal and improvised-explosive-device disposal training; military police training; medical training; flight safety training; and logistics system modernization training. The Canadian troops will work alongside American military personnel providing "individual and unit tactics training" to the Ukrainian National Guard.

"We perfectly understand that western countries are not ready to provide us lethal assistance. "We perfectly understand that it's our war, that it's the war for our independence, not the war of western countries", said Marko Shevchenko, charge d'affaires at the Embassy of Ukraine in Canada, stating the deep gratitude of his government to Canada.

And emphasizing that the ceasefire is not working as well as his government might wish it to. A good an indication of further conflict on the very near horizon as any.