Operation UNIFIER was the

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and

French Armed Forces The French Armed Forces (, ) are the military forces of France. They consist of four military branches – the Army, the Navy, the Air and Space Force, and the National Gendarmerie. The National Guard serves as the French Armed Forces' milita ...

mission to bolster the capabilities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine through the provision of critical military training. It was launched in 2015 in response to the 2014 Russian annexation of Crimea. It provided training to over 22,000 Ukrainian military personnel before it was suspended ahead of the

Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...

. It was stood up in response to requests from the Government of Ukraine in light of fomentation by

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sentiments in the Donetsk and

Luhansk Luhansk (, ; , ), also known as Lugansk (, ; , ), is a city in the Donbas in eastern Ukraine. As of 2022, the population was estimated to be making Luhansk the Cities in Ukraine, 12th-largest city in Ukraine. Luhansk served as the administra ...

and Crimean regions of Ukraine after the 2014 Ukrainian revolution and the

2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine From the end of February 2014, in the aftermath of the Euromaidan and the Revolution of Dignity, which resulted in the ousting of Russian-leaning President of Ukraine, Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, demonstrations by Russian-backed, ...

. Up until the

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...

, the training mission took place in Ukraine through a Multinational Joint Commission which included

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, the

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, and the

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. Since August 2022, the Canadian and French militaries have been working alongside the British Ministry of Defence in

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to deliver training to Ukrainian recruits under Operation Interflex.

History

In the past, this operation was part of the Multinational Joint Commission, a larger body composed of the U.S., UK,

and

, aimed at reforming Ukraine's military. The first Canadian troops to participate in the operation came from the 1st Battalion of the Royal Canadian Regiment. The Canadian contribution of training is provided by about 200 Canadian soldiers, rotating every six months, increased to 260 in January 2022. As of November 2018 there had been 230 course sessions and more than 10,000 Ukrainian soldiers trained under Operation UNIFIER. After 2018, a small Swedish contingent operated within the framework. In December 2021, three Swedish officers were in Ukraine within the framework of Operation UNIFIER.

Timeline

Canada made its first airmail delivery of non-lethal military equipment to Ukraine on August 7-8, 2014. This equipment mainly included cold protective clothing and was delivered to Boryspil International Airport by the

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; ) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environmental commands within the unified Can ...

(RCAF). On January 10, 2015, the first shipment of non-lethal military equipment to Ukraine by sea arrived at the port of Odesa. On April 14, 2015, Canada announced the deployment of a CAF task force, known as Joint Task Force Ukraine or Operation UNIFIER, with nearly 200

stationed in Ukraine until March 31, 2017. The military training mission officially began on 14 September 2015 at the International Center for Security and Peacekeeping in Starychi and the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense Demining Center in

Kamianets-Podilskyi Kamianets-Podilskyi (, ; ) is a city on the Smotrych River in western Ukraine, western Ukraine, to the north-east of Chernivtsi. Formerly the administrative center of Khmelnytskyi Oblast, the city is now the administrative center of Kamianets ...

. Newly-promoted Minister of National Defence Jason Kenney announced Canadian military personnel would instruct Ukrainian forces as part of a $700 million gift he called Operation UNIFIER. On December 8, 2015, the Minister of National Defence of Canada, Harjit Sajjan, announced that his country had signed an agreement with Ukraine for joint military training and for strengthening its military capabilities. On March 6, 2017, the Government of Canada announced the extension of Operation UNIFIER until the end of March 2019. On March 18, 2019, the Government of Canada announced the extension of Operation UNIFIER until the end of March 2022. On January 26, 2022, the Government of Canada announced the extension of Operation UNIFIER until the end of March 2025, and increased the complement of 200 by another 60. On February 13 the CAF announced that the operation would be temporarily suspended due to the 2021–2022 Russo-Ukrainian crisis, with most of the units involved being sent to

. Canada has assured Ukraine that the withdrawal is only temporary. The Swedish contingent was also withdrawn at this time. On February 24, 2022,

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invaded

in a major escalation of the

Russo-Ukrainian War The Russo-Ukrainian War began in February 2014 and is ongoing. Following Ukraine's Revolution of Dignity, Russia Russian occupation of Crimea, occupied and Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, annexed Crimea from Ukraine. It then ...

, which began in 2014. The CAF personnel who were deployed on Op UNIFIER returned to Canada on March 18, 2022. On April 20, 2022, Russia announced retaliatory sanctions against a number of senior Canadian military officials as well soldiers who commanded Operation UNIFIER in Ukraine since 2015 prohibiting them from entering Russia. In August 2022, CAF personnel deployed to the UK to resume the training of Ukrainian recruits, with the expectation to assist with the training of approximately 10,000 Security Force soldiers. Between October 2022 and March 2023, CAF has deployed combat engineers, soldiers and medical personnel to Poland to assist in the training of the Ukrainian forces.

Mission

According to lobbyists from the NATO Association of Canada, Operation UNIFIER's broader mission includes: * Helping the development of the region * Maintaining security * Maintaining democracy * Providing humanitarian aid * Promoting economic stability and growth

Ukrainian diaspora response

Members of the Ukrainian diaspora in Canada positively welcomed the Canadian government's contribution to reform the Ukrainian military. A number of community appreciation events were held in Toronto, Edmonton and Winnipeg for CAF members who have served in Operation UNIFIER. On July 1, 2018, the Band of the Ceremonial Guard performed during its daily guard mounting ceremony on Parliament Hill, a Ukrainian military march known as "" () in front of members of the Ukrainian diaspora during the ceremony, as a response to the operation.

References

{{Reflist 2014 in Ukraine Canada–Ukraine relations Sweden–Ukraine relations Canada–Sweden relations War in Donbas Unifier Unifier Military operations involving Ukraine

History

Timeline

Mission

Ukrainian diaspora response

See also

References