Up to 150 Canadian troops heading to Poland to help Ukrainian refugees: Defence minister

Members of the Canadian Armed Forces will depart from an Ontario military base on Thursday to help with the care, co-ordination and resettlement of Ukrainian refugees in Poland.

Defence Minister Anita Anand announced up to 150 troops will be deployed to assist in efforts to support Ukrainians at the Polish border who are fleeing the war with Russia.

“I am here today to announce the next phase of the Canadian Armed Forces response to this war, to help address the growing crisis at the border between Poland and Ukraine” said Anand, speaking at Canadian Forces Base Trenton.

Anand says approximately 100 personnel will be deployed immediately and the majority will come from Edmonton and Kingston through Trenton in the coming days.

Anand made the announcement on Thursday morning after a reconnaissance team visited Poland last week to plan for the new mission.

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The troops will help with the care and co-ordination of Ukrainian refugees, more than 2.6 million of which have fled to Poland since Russia invaded in February. They will also help Ukrainians leave Poland for other destinations.

Canada has prioritized immigration applications from Ukraine and created a special program that lets Ukrainian citizens and their families come to Canada and work or study for three years.

The Canadian Armed Forces previously had 260 military trainers in Poland after they were evacuated from Ukraine shortly before Russia launched its invasion on Feb. 24.

The trainers provided some humanitarian assistance during the early weeks of the conflict but have since been relocated back to Canada on what the military says is a temporary basis.

Since the war started, Canada has provided millions of dollars in loans to the Ukrainian government along with military weapons and equipment for its military.

It has also sanctioned hundreds of Russian political and business leaders, and called for the International Criminal Court to investigate the country for war crimes and crimes against humanity.