Supporting Extremism in Ukraine

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Minister of Foreign Affairs Stéphane Dion visited Kiev, Ukraine on February 1 where he expressed the continued support of the Government of Canada for the extremist, pro-fascist Ukrainian government. Since January 10, two hundred Canadian soldiers from the 5 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group, based in Valcartier, Quebec, have been deploying to Canada's Operation UNIFIER mission in Ukraine allegedly to train Ukrainian soldiers. They relieved the 2 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group from Petawawa, Ontario, which deployed in August 2015 and has now returned to Canada. Canada's mission was first announced by the Prime Minister's Office in Canada and the U.S. Department of Defence in April 2015 and described as Canada joining the latter's Ukraine National Guard training program. Ukraine's National Guard is comprised of fascist and neo-Nazi militias formed in the course of the U.S.-backed coup against the Ukrainian government in February 2014. These militias, such as the Azov Brigade, have carried out untold atrocities and war crimes against the people of eastern Ukraine in the coup government's attempts to bring these regions under its control. With the growing awareness of Canadians about the forces Canada is supporting in Ukraine, government news releases now refer only to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which includes infantry, navy, the air force and the National Guard. The Department of National Defence claims that Canada's military mission in Ukraine "provides its members with an excellent opportunity for the Canadian Armed Forces to learn from the recent operational experiences of their Ukrainian counterparts." Another indication that Canada's training mission involves assisting fascist militias is the fact that its roles include "teaching basic soldier skills, such as how to shoot, move and communicate on the battlefield." The Canadian government has also deployed police "to support Ukraine's patrol police reform" and "are also providing strategic guidance to Ukrainian security institutions." The Global Affairs Canada press release describing Dion's visit to Ukraine referred to a visit to Maidan Square in Kiev in which the Minister of Foreign Affairs "laid flowers at a memorial honouring those who were killed during the protests against the former regime." It further states that Maidan Square was the site of "the 2013-2014 protests during which many protestors were killed. They became known as the 'Heavenly Hundred.'" A detailed study by University of Ottawa Professor and former Harvard Visiting Scholar Ivan Katchanovski presented at the Annual Meeting of American Political Science Association in San Francisco, September 3-6, 2015 concluded that the massacre was "rationally planned and carried out with a goal of the overthrow of the government and seizure of power." Dr. Katchanovski's study found evidence of "the involvement of an alliance of the far right organizations, specifically the Right Sector and Svoboda, and oligarchic parties, such as Fatherland. Concealed shooters and spotters were located in at least 20 Maidan-controlled buildings or areas. The various evidence that the protesters were killed from these locations include some 70 testimonies, primarily by Maidan protesters, several videos of 'snipers' targeting protesters from these buildings, comparisons of positions of the specific protesters at the time of their killing and their entry wounds, and bullet impact signs." (TML Weekly No. 6, February 6, 2016)