The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) is temporarily relocating some personnel based in Ukraine to a separate location in Europe, according to the Department of National Defence.
According to a news release distributed on Sunday, the decision to pull military trainers out of Ukraine was due to 鈥渦nwarranted aggression鈥� from Russia against Ukraine, which has contributed to a 鈥渃omplex operational environment鈥� within the eastern European country.
For the time being, components of Joint Task Force 鈥� Ukraine (JTF-U) are being moved to elsewhere in Europe. While the Defence Department confirmed that some personnel have been moved outside of Ukraine, exact numbers, locations and future plans have not been disclosed.
鈥淭he temporary repositioning of JTF-U personnel does not signal the end of the mission, but rather allows us to refocus our efforts while ensuring the safety and security of CAF members,鈥� read a statement from the Defence Department. 鈥淭he Canadian Armed Forces remains committed to the people of Ukraine and its mission to increase the capacity and capability of the Security Forces of Ukraine.鈥�
This comes after Canada鈥檚 Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly announced that Canadian diplomatic staff in Ukraine were relocated from Kyiv to the western city of Lviv. In addition to establishing a temporary office in Lviv, also read that Canada will temporarily suspend operations at its embassy in Kyiv due to the 鈥渃ontinued deterioration of the security situation caused by the build up of Russian troops on Ukraine鈥檚 border.鈥�
Among escalating concerns about war between Russia and Ukraine, the Canadian federal government has also warned against any travel to Ukraine and urged all those currently in the country to leave.
