Re: Ukraine / Latvia

by Monsfool Mon 27 Feb 2023, 7:37 am

'I know that I can die here': Two former Canadian soldiers describe life on the front lines in Ukraine, and why they're fighting
Published Feb. 26, 2023

KYIV, UKRAINE - Fighting for freedom far from home. That’s where CTV National News finds two Canadians preparing for their second deployment to the front lines in Ukraine.
Connecting with fighters in an active war zone involves trust on both sides. Many soldiers from are concerned their identities and locations will be compromised.

Wary of Russia’s ability to track their movements and become targets, we’ve agreed to withhold the real names and location in Ukraine where we met two former Canadian Armed Forces members from Montreal.

For our interview, we travel down a muddy, bumpy rural backroad. As we arrive in a wooded area, they reveal their story and their call signs on the battlefield – Speedy and Tanto.

Both are young men in their twenties. The taller of the two, Tanto, says he decided to come to Ukraine after seeing videos of children on the news crossing the Polish border with only a passport and a teddy bear.

“I still have the image in my head right now,” he admits.

As for Speedy, he felt it was his duty, saying, “I wanted to help fight, help the population.”

His first combat tour in Ukraine lasted six months. For Tanto, it was four months. Both recently returned to Ukraine and reflected on the difficulty they experienced back home.

“When I get back to Canada, it’s really hard to adapt to a normal life after what you’ve seen, [after] what you've done,” says Speedy.

Tanto found it difficult to hold down a regular job, saying it felt like “no one really knows what’s going on in Ukraine.”

Since their return to Ukraine, the two Canadians are now facing another challenging reality.

“All of our friends are wounded,” says Speedy.

Tanto shares that many have also died. As he grapples with this tragic reality, he says, “going to the hospital and seeing them wounded is really difficult. They have serous shrapnel injuries to their heads and legs.”

Neither are covered by insurance should they get injured, or worse, while on the front lines. Accepting the risks involved, Speedy is at peace with what may or may not come.

“I know that I can die here, I know I can get wounded,” he says.

Tanto, who shares that he’s an uncle, says, “I don’t want to die. I came here to help but I’m not planning to die, you know. If it happens it happens.”

Neither experienced active combat while with the Canadian military, but that changed once they arrived in Ukraine.

Speedy laments the style of warfare being deployed.

“It’s more like World War II,” he says. “There’s trenches, there’s artillery. It feels like the Russians have infinite ammo. I don’t know how to explain it. They shell you and shell you. They never stop.”

While serving with several different allied fighter groups, the pair share they’ve uncovered Russian spies within the ranks.

“They had a bunch of Russian spies who initially joined. They got caught,” claims Speedy. “At one point you know they’re not legit. They got caught and taken away. We never saw them again.”

At the beginning of the war, it was easy to show up and get deployed, now there’s much more paperwork, according to the two young Canadians. Each are waiting for their papers to clear this time so they can begin getting paid by the Ukrainian military.

They decline to say how much they’ll make, but Tanto says that without payment “I’m not staying. I have to get paid.”

Combined, they estimate they spent about $45,000 buying gear and supporting themselves during their first trip as foreign Canadian fighters. Both say they’re here for the long haul this time, as long as they can make a living while helping on the battlefront.

Speedy and Tanto, along with a third French Canadian, have launched Black Maple Company, a site where people can purchase merchandise. Part of the proceeds will go toward helping their fellow fighters injured in battle.

“Whatever we can give to wounded soldiers to help lift their morale,” says Speedy.

Tanto is concerned that Canadians and the global community will soon turn their gaze away from Ukraine.

“[The war] is still happening everywhere in Ukraine,” he says. “Children are dying, don’t forget about this war.”

Ottawa says it’s unknown exactly how many Canadians have travelled to Ukraine to join the fight. It’s believed at least three Canadians have died while fighting in Ukraine over the past year.

CTV News

by Monsfool Tue 04 Apr 2023, 5:41 am

Canadian troops in Poland not being reimbursed for meals

Canadian soldiers are training Ukrainian military, but a backlog with the Canadian Forces reimbursing the soldiers for food costs is causing financial hardship for families back home

David Pugliese • Ottawa Citizen
Published Apr 03, 2023

Canadian troops in Poland are having to buy their own food but aren’t being reimbursed, causing hardships for their families back home.

The Canadian soldiers are in Poland to train Ukrainian military personnel but since Canada did not send military cooks on the mission, the troops were told to eat at local restaurants.

But there is a massive backlog with the Canadian Forces reimbursing the soldiers for those costs, sending some of them thousands of dollars into debt. Their families contacted this newspaper to complain about the situation they say is causing financial stress at home.

After this newspaper inquired about the situation, the Canadian Forces confirmed Monday that there are problems with payments of per diems and the reimbursement of other expenses. The Canadian Forces is now promising to speed up the process.

“We apologize to the members and their families for the distress this has caused, and thank them for their patience,” said Capt. Nicolas Plourde-Fleury, spokesman for Canadian Joint Operations Command (CJOC). “We want them to know we have implemented measures to better support them moving forward.”

Approximately 100 Canadian military personnel are currently serving in Poland as part of a contingent to train Ukraine troops. The first arrived in October 2022 but the mission added more personnel in February and March.

As part of Operation Unifier, the Canadian soldiers are providing training in basic and advanced engineering skills, the use of explosives for demolition work, demining and skills relating to the use and operation of the Leopard 2 tanks in combat.

The Canadian Forces usually has its own cooks to provide troops with food. But in this situation, the Canadians initially received their meals from the Polish military. Later, the Canadian soldiers were told to eat in local restaurants and they would be reimbursed by the Canadian Forces.

That is when the problems started, say families of soldiers who contacted this newspaper.

Food bills were being racked up and the Canadian Forces was not providing any payment. At the same time, the families back in Canada were drawing on their savings to help finance their loved ones in Poland.

The reimbursements from the Canadian Forces were supposed to be paid on a monthly basis but there is a backlog in the processing of the claims.

Plourde-Fleury said the Canadian Forces have “been taking immediate steps to address” the backlog. “Additional administrative staff were deployed in January 2023, and have been hard at work to clear the backlog and provide ongoing support to Op UNIFIER’s members,” he explained. “The deployment period for financial staff has also been extended, in order to create an overlap with the incoming replacement staff, and increase the capacity to clear the backlog.”

He stated that the backlog has been reduced and the Canadian Forces hope to have approval of monthly claims back on track in the coming weeks.

But Plourde-Fleury acknowledged that even initial travel claims to Poland submitted by military staff have yet to be processed.

“While we work through the backlog, claims for larger amounts are being processed as priorities, in order to minimize financial hardship for members,” he added. “Smaller claims, such as some elements of travel claims, will be processed as soon as possible.”

CJOC is also re-evaluating the administrative and financial support offered to Op UNIFIER to see what additional help can be provided to both clear the backlog, noted Plourde-Fleury.

The Canadian Forces has been facing a high attrition rate as its members leave the military for a variety of reasons, including poor treatment, concerns about pay and a lack of housing. At the same time, the military is facing a recruiting crisis as young Canadians have voiced concern about sexual misconduct in the Canadian Forces as well as its toxic leadership.

Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Wayne Eyre as well as other Canadian military leaders have repeatedly stated that taking care of military personnel and their families is important.

David Pugliese is an award-winning journalist covering Canadian Forces and military issues in Canada. To support his work, including exclusive content for subscribers only, sign up here: ottawacitizen.com/subscribe

Defence Watch

by Tracker Fri 14 Apr 2023, 4:36 pm

Canada expects to have 21,000 assault rifles delivered to Ukraine within months

David Pugliese • Ottawa Citizen

Published Apr 14, 2023

National Defence says Ukraine should receive by the end of the summer the 21,000 assault rifles being donated by Canada.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the latest weapons donation April 11 at a news conference after meeting with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal. Trudeau said Canada would send 21,000 assault rifles, 38 machine guns, and 2.4 million rounds of ammunition to Ukraine.

Canada is spending $59 million to purchase the weapons and ammunition.

“The delivery of the equipment is projected to be completed in the coming months,” National Defence confirmed to this newspaper on Friday. The weapons being sent include M4 carbines; M4 Commandos; M16A4 rifles; M5 carbines; and C8A2 carbines, National Defence added in its statement.

The department noted that for security reasons it was not providing a breakdown on numbers of each variant.

Trudeau said the weapons will be “sourced from Colt Canada” in Kitchener, Ont.

But defence officials said parts will be brought in from the U.S. so the guns can be assembled in Canada.

The Canadian-based firearms manufacturer is owned by the Colt CZ Group which is headquartered in the Czech Republic. Colt CZ Group has production facilities in the Czech Republic, the United States, Canada and Sweden.

Eva Svobodová, spokesperson for Colt CZ Group, did not respond to the question about whether the production of the rifles would be done at Colt Canada or at the company’s various other locations around the world.

“Colt Canada will play an important role in the deliveries of assault rifles, machine guns and ammunition to the Government of Ukraine,” Svobodová said in a statement. “We are proud to be a strong and reliable partner to the Canadian, U.S., and Czech governments in helping Ukraine to defend its national sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as our Western values.”

National Defence could not provide further details on the 2.4 million rounds being purchased for Ukraine. Some of the ammunition is for the small arms being provided by Canada while other ammunition is for the small arms already in use by Ukraine’s military. Many of those weapons are based on Soviet-era designs and production.

Svobodová said the ammunition will be “sourced” from Colt Canada. She did not provide further details.

Canada completed last year a $10 million shipment of small arms to Ukraine. Those included medium and heavy calibre sniper rifles and ammunition, pistols, as well as light and medium machine guns. Some were taken from Canadian military stocks while others were acquired via commercial contacts. No details were provided on those commercial contracts.

Canada has committed more than $8 billion in financial and military aid to Ukraine since the Russian invasion began last year.

Military assistance, which includes Leopard tanks, howitzers and armoured vehicles, has totalled $1 billion. Included in that figure is a $400 million air defence system that has yet to be delivered.

David Pugliese is an award-winning journalist covering Canadian Forces and military issues in Canada. To support his work, including exclusive content for subscribers only, sign up here: ottawacitizen.com/subscribe

Defence Watch