OTTAWA, February 4. /TASS/. Canada has sent non-lethal military aid to Ukraine, the Canadian Department of National Defense said in a statement.
"Last night, as part of Canada’s recently announced immediate support to Ukraine and the extension and expansion of Operation Unifier, the Canadian Armed Forces’ (CAF) training and capacity-building mission in Ukraine, a CAF C-177 Globemaster departed CFB Trenton carrying non-lethal military equipment," the statement reads.
According to the Canadian Department of National Defense, "this equipment includes personal protective and load carriage equipment, as well as surveillance and detection equipment." "A team of CAF personnel are accompanying the equipment to assist with its integration, and to ensure Ukrainian security forces are properly trained on its function and maintenance," the statement added.
Since 2015, Canada has been training Ukrainian service members in the country’s Lvov region as part of Operation Unifier. The mission involves about 200 Canadian Armed Forces members. Ottawa earlier announced the extension of Operation Unifier until 2025 and plans to increase the number of personnel to 400.
The West and Kiev have recently been echoing allegations about Russia’s potential invasion of Ukraine. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov castigated these claims as "empty and unfounded", serving as a ploy to escalate tensions, pointing out that Russia did not pose any threat whatsoever to anyone. However, Peskov did not rule out the possibility of provocations aimed at justifying such claims and warned that attempts to use military force to resolve the crisis in southeastern Ukraine would have serious consequences.