Canada Suspends Military Training Mission in Ukraine Over Spike in COVID-19 Cases
Canada has suspended its military training mission in Ukraine following a spike in coronavirus cases among the personnel, the country's Joint Operations Command confirmed
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th April, 2021) Canada has suspended its military training mission in Ukraine following a spike in coronavirus cases among the personnel, the country's Joint Operations Command confirmed.
"Normal security forces capacity building activities have been temporarily reduced or suspended in training locations as a force protection measure for members of the Task Force and to stop the spread of the virus," Joint Operations Command spokesperson Capt. Alexia Croizer said, as quoted by CBC news, adding that those who tested positive are isolated and their close contacts have been placed in quarantine.
According to The Globe and Mail, the military does not report the exact number of cases, citing security reasons.
In 2015, Canada sent about 200 servicemen to Ukraine to train local forces within Operation UNIFIER at the request of the Ukrainian government. The mission was renewed in March 2019 for three more years. It coordinates its operations with other nations via a Multinational Joint Commission including, aside from Canada itself, Lithuania, Poland, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, the United States, Denmark and Sweden.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, Ukraine has confirmed almost 2 million cases, including 39,536 fatalities.