OTTAWA – The Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) on March 13 called for the renewal and expansion of Operation UNIFIER, Canada’s military training mission in Ukraine.
“Canada’s current commitment to Operation UNIFIER extends to March 31, 2019,” said Ihor Michalchyshyn, UCC’s chief executive officer. “We believe it is critical that Canada extends its commitment to train Ukraine’s military and security personnel, at current or increased levels of participation, through to 2025.”
Every day, Ukrainian soldiers are fighting and dying on the front in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, defending their country from Russian aggression. Between July 11, 2016, and February 20, 2019, 409 Ukrainian soldiers have died and 2,366 have been wounded in battle, the UCC reported.
On March 13, the UCC distributed a new briefing note and policy recommendation to Canada’s members of Parliament regarding Operation UNIFIER. This follows a recent letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau by UCC National President Alexandra Chyczij which called for an urgent renewal of the mission’s mandate.
The UCC urged Canadians to contact their members of Parliament to voice their support for the renewal of Operation UNIFIER.