The federal government is expected to announce on Tuesday that more than 100 troops will go to Ukraine to train local forces fighting Russian-backed separatists, CTV News has learned.
The training is expected to include improvised explosive devices, flight safety and policing, sources say.
Canada has imposed sanctions on Russian individuals, including asset freezes and travel bans, for what then-foreign affairs minister John Baird described as President Vladamir Putin’s “reckless aggression.”
"Canada will stand in steadfast support of the Ukrainian people as they continue to struggle for peace and freedom against the Putin regime," Prime Minister Stephen Harper said when the sanctions were announced in December.
More than 5,300 people died in the conflict between last April and February, according a recent United Nations report.
Crew members from HMCS Fredericton observe the USS Vicksburg as they pass it in the Black Sea as part of a naval exercise during Operation Reassurance on March 10, 2015. ( Canadian Forces Combat Camera / Department of National Defence)
As the sun rises, a member of the ship’s company on board HMCS Toronto provides force protection while transiting through the Bosphorus Strait during Operation Reassurance, the mission to support NATO in Central and Eastern Europe, Sept. 25, 2014. (Sgt. Matthew McGregor / Canadian Forces Combat Camera)
