Ukraine: Canada sending 150 troops to Poland to help refugees fleeing Russian invasion

Ukraine: Canada sending 150 troops to Poland to help refugees fleeing Russian invasion
The soldiers are to be sent to frontline reception centres across Poland to "provide general support, spiritual services and limited medical care," Canada's Defence Minister Anita Anand said.
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Canada's Defence Minister Anita Anand said only 100 troops will be deployed immediately [Dursun Aydemir/Anadolu Agency/Getty-archive]

Canada will send up to 150 troops on a humanitarian mission to Poland to support its massive influx of Ukrainians who fled Russia's brutal invasion of their country, Defence Minister Anita Anand announced on Thursday.

With more than half of Ukraine's over 4.7 million asylum seekers having gone to neighboring Poland, the NATO ally is facing a refugee crisis and has asked for assistance.

Only 100 of the total number of troops assigned to the mission will be deployed immediately, Anand told a news conference at Trenton Air Force Base in Ontario, adding that they would "assist Poland's efforts to support and care for Ukrainians fleeing violence."

The soldiers, who are fluent in Ukrainian, are to be sent to frontline reception centres across Poland to "provide general support, spiritual services and limited medical care," she said.

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They will also support a Poland-led humanitarian task force, and help resettle Ukrainians in Canada.

Ottawa last month said it would take in an unlimited number of Ukrainian refugees, and has so far approved 30,000 applications under new special immigration rules for Ukrainians.

But only 12,000 Ukrainians have landed in Canada under the measure and other migrant programmes since the beginning of the year, Immigration Minister Sean Fraser said recently.

In its budget last week, the Canadian government also earmarked an additional CA$1 billion (US$800 million) in loans for Ukraine through the International Monetary Fund and CA$500 million (US$400 million) in military aid.