Canada and Western allies must continue to support Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty by providing meaningful support to strengthen Ukraine’s security and defense capabilities, and Ukraine’s reform process.
Following is the text of the briefing note submitted by the Ukrainian Canadian Congress to the House of Commons Standing Committee on National Defense on October 23. The briefing note accompanied testimony by UCC President Paul Grod on Canada’s role in supporting Ukraine and countering Russian aggression.
The Russian Federation invaded and occupied Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula (the Autonomous Republic of Crimea) in March 2014 and has waged war against Ukraine in the eastern oblasts of Donetsk and Luhansk for over three years.
Thousands of regular Russian troops and massive amounts of Russian high-tech heavy weapons are present on sovereign Ukrainian territory in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts.
The Russian Federation routinely ignores and violates the Minsk I and Minsk II ceasefire agreements of September 2014 and February 2015, respectively. Russia’s war against Ukraine has resulted in the deaths of over 10,000 people, over 23,000 wounded and 1.4 million internally displaced people.
There has not been a substantive change in the frontline positions of Ukrainian and Russian-proxy forces since 2016. However, daily attacks on Ukrainian positions by Russian-proxy forces continue. From May 1, 2016, to October 18, 2017, at least 316 Ukrainian soldiers were killed and at least 1,922 wounded in combat on the eastern front. This is not a frozen conflict; it is a hot war.
Russian claims of a “separatist” movement or “civil war” in eastern Ukraine are totally unfounded. There is not now, nor has there ever been, a “separatist” movement in eastern Ukraine. The conflict in eastern Ukraine is the direct result of Russian military invasion.
On September 28, 2016, the Joint Investigation Team into the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, as part of its criminal investigation, concluded that MH17 was shot down by a Buk missile system that was transported from the Russian Federation into occupied eastern Ukraine, and then transported back to the Russian Federation during the night following the shoot-down of the airliner on July 17, 2014. All 298 passengers on board, including one Canadian student, were killed.
In Russian-occupied Crimea, the Russian occupation authorities have instituted a regime of terror against the Crimean Tatar People, ethnic Ukrainians and anyone who opposes Russia’s illegal occupation.
The Office of the U.N. High Commissioner on Human Rights stated in a report on September 25, 2017, that the human rights situation in Crimea has significantly deteriorated under Russian occupation, with “multiple and grave violations” committed by Russian authorities. The Russian authorities have also significantly militarized Crimea under Russian occupation.
Russia’s aggression against Ukraine is not an isolated phenomenon. Since the collapse of the USSR, Russia has fomented instability and frozen conflicts in neighboring states as a means of controlling their domestic and foreign policies.
Ukraine is defending its sovereignty and independence against Russia’s war of aggression, while concurrently implementing comprehensive reforms.
Canada and Western allies must continue to support Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty by providing meaningful support to strengthen Ukraine’s security and defense capabilities, and Ukraine’s reform process.
Canada’s policy response
The current situation demands firm and robust measures to prevent Russia from enacting its political, economic and military objectives vis-à-vis Ukraine, which would have grave consequences for both European security and international stability.
Russia’s aggression against Ukraine has direct security implications for Canada. It is in Canada’s national interest that Europe remain whole, free and at peace. The appeasement of aggression, as history has shown, will inevitably beget more aggression.
The long northern border between Canada and Russia makes Russia a potential threat to Canada’s security. By continuing to support Ukraine’s right to defend its territorial integrity and independence, a clear message is sent to the Kremlin that changing borders by force is unacceptable in the 21st century, and discourages Russia from becoming emboldened to threaten Canadian sovereignty in the Arctic.
The Russian authorities have shown through their actions that they respect only strength. The best way to ensure peace and security in Europe and for Canada’s NATO allies is to ensure the success of Ukraine, and to assist the government and people of Ukraine in building a country which is democratic, able to defend itself against external aggression, and able to protect its territorial integrity and citizens.
In order to deter further Russian aggression and to return peace to Ukraine, the UCC makes the following six policy recommendations.
1. Canada should add Ukraine to the Automatic Firearms Country Control List, to allow the export of certain defensive equipment to Ukraine.
2. Defensive equipment: Canada and NATO allies should provide Ukraine with defensive equipment – most importantly, anti-tank, anti-artillery systems and surveillance systems, in order to deter Russia from further aggression.
3. International peacekeeping mission: Canada has a long, proud and effective history in peacekeeping operations around the world. Canada can play a crucial role in establishing and leading a U.N. international peacekeeping mission that would be deployed to the Ukraine-Russia border and to the entire territory of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts currently occupied by Russia.
4 . Strengthen sectoral economic and individual sanctions on Russia and Russian officials, including the removal of Russia from the SWIFT international payments system. Canada in cooperation with the EU, the G-7 and other like-minded nations should strengthen economic sanctions on Russia in order to exert pressure on Russia to accept a robust and effective U.N. peacekeeping mission in eastern Ukraine.
5. Continue to support the reform of Ukraine’s military. Canada should continue to support the reform of Ukraine’s military through the NATO-Ukraine Trust Funds: (command, control, communications and computers, or C4); logistics and standardization; cyber defense; medical rehabilitation; military career management; counter-improvised explosive devices and explosive ordnance disposal; and through the Defense Reform Advisory Board.
6. Continue to strengthen Ukraine’s security forces through such efforts as Operation UNIFIER. Strengthening the ability of Ukraine’s security forces to defend their citizens against foreign aggression will prevent further bloodshed and facilitate a diplomatic resolution.
Background: global security situation
The current global security situation provides both serious challenges and important opportunities to protecting Canada’s security and promoting peace and stability abroad. Since the end of the Cold War, two key challenges to Canadian and global security have emerged: the threat of global terrorism and Russia’s military aggression against its neighbors.
Russia’s actions (from its 2008 invasion of Georgia to its ongoing war in Ukraine) present a direct challenge to the international rules-based system that was established after World War II, particularly pertaining to the inviolability of borders and sovereignty of states.
With its invasion of Ukraine and illegal annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula, Russia broke guarantees to respect Ukraine’s territorial integrity under the Budapest Memorandum. In exchange for security guarantees from the United States, the United Kingdom and Russia, Ukraine voluntarily surrendered its nuclear arsenal (the world’s third largest).
Russia’s actions and the inadequate response from the United States and the U.K. in support of Ukraine’s territorial integrity have placed in severe doubt the efficacy and ultimately the value of nuclear non-proliferation, removing essential incentives to halt nuclear programs or reduce nuclear arsenals.
The inadequate response from the Budapest Memorandum signatories has emboldened the Russian Federation to continue its military campaign and occupation of Ukraine and conduct military acts and operations against NATO allies that would have been unheard of since the end of the Cold War.
Recent Russian naval maneuvers in the English Channel, Russian airspace incursions in the Baltic states and Russian fighter bomber simulated attack runs on U.S. Navy warships are examples of overt and aggressive behavior.
The greatest immediate danger is that Moscow may seek a provocation in one of the Baltic states to test NATO’s resolve. The recent decisions to deploy battalions to each of the Baltic states reduces the danger, but does not remove it. Moscow’s aggressive behavior could easily be extrapolated to Canada’s Far North in terms of Russian maritime surface and sub-surface operations.
Russia’s growing presence in the Arctic, especially coupled with its assertive behavior in Eastern Europe, clearly underlines the need for a strong NATO policy of deterrence in Europe’s east to dissuade the Kremlin from further aggression. Part of this comes from building NATO’s military presence in the Baltic states, Poland and Romania; part of it must come from further support to Ukraine in its struggle against Moscow’s aggression.
Canada must take into account the existential threat presented to Canada and allied states by Russia’s continued violation of international law. Canada must look at ways to counter Russia’s aggression and deter further attacks against Ukraine or other states in the region.