Due to the growing tension between the NATO and Russian military alliance, the Canadian Defense Ministry deployed special forces operators to Ukraine.
This is reported by Global News.
According to the publication, the deployment of a small contingent from the Canadian Special Operations Regiment comes as diplomatic talks aimed at staving off an armed conflict in Ukraine have faltered, and an estimated 100,000 Russian troops remain camped on Ukraine’s border.
Thus, the presence of Canadian troops in Ukraine is an attempt by NATO allies to deter Russian aggression in Ukraine and to identify ways to assist the Ukrainian government.
"The unit has also been tasked with helping to develop evacuation plans for Canadian diplomatic personnel in the event of a full-scale invasion, sources said," the message reads.
However, neither the government nor the Canadian Forces would officially confirm the presence of the special forces in Ukraine when contacted by Global News, other than to say special forces operators have been involved in Canada’s broader assistance to Ukraine.
"(The Canadian Special Operations Forces Command) is part of the broader Armed Forces’ efforts to support Ukraine’s Security Forces,” wrote Maj. Amber Bineau, a spokesperson for special operations command, in a statement to Global News.
Bineau noted that Canadian special forces have been providing training, as well as “instructor and leadership expertise,” to Ukrainian counterparts since 2020 — although sources told Global News the latest special forces contingent, which left for Ukraine around Jan. 9, is not conducting training.
Earlier Apostrophe reported that Russia began to deploy military helicopters to the Ukrainian borders.