More Canadian weapons, including heavy artillery, are arriving in Ukraine

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The federal government has announced that an unspecified number of M777 howitzers and the ammunition they need have now been sent.

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April 22, 2022 • 13 hours ago • 2 minutes reading • 142 comments Canadian soldiers firing an M777 howitzer during a training exercise in Wainwright, Alberta, April 10, 2019. Canada sent some of the heavy artillery weapons to Ukraine. Photo by Pte. Jordan R. Anderson / DND / file

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OTTAWA – Heavy Artillery Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has promised that Ukraine arrived in the war-torn country earlier this week as it expects a new offensive by Russian troops.

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The government said an unspecified number of M777 howitzers and the ammunition they needed had already been sent to Ukraine. Long-range weapons are being removed from the Canadian Army’s stockpile and will be replaced in the future. Trudeau declined to provide details of the shipment when asked this week, citing operational security.

The weapon can be towed behind a heavy vehicle and is within 30 kilometers, according to the government. The Ministry of Defense did not disclose the exact number of weapons sent, but CBC news reported that there were four.

Canadian forces first received a small number of weapons in 2006, during the war in Afghanistan, and ordered 25 of them in 2009, bringing the total number of weapons to 37.

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After their attack on the country’s capital, Kyiv, stopped, Russian forces withdrew back to eastern Ukraine in recent weeks and launched a new offensive aimed at capturing other parts of the country.

Rustam Minekayev, deputy commander of Russia’s Central Military District, was quoted by Russian state news agencies as saying that full control of southern Ukraine would give it access to the breakaway, Russian-occupied part of Moldova to the west.

This would cut off the entire coast of Ukraine and mean pushing hundreds of miles west beyond the current lines, past the great Ukrainian cities of Nikolaev and Odessa.

1. Canada will send heavy artillery to Ukraine, Trudeau promises

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Canadian Defense Secretary Anita Anand said the additional weapons are part of Canada’s ongoing contribution.

“As Ukrainians fight to defend their sovereignty, freedom and independence, Canada remains committed to continuing to provide Ukraine with the military equipment it needs to fight and win this war.

The government has so far spent $ 118 million to send weapons to Ukraine and is committed to spending an additional $ 500 million in the budget. The government also delivers humanitarian aid and grants large loans to the Ukrainian government.

On Friday, they also promised more ammunition for the Carl Gustaf anti-tank weapon and said they were finalizing contracts to supply armored vehicles to Ukrainian forces.

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The latest supply of weapons from the US government to Ukraine included 90 of the M777’s artillery weapons, as well as drones and other weapons.

Alexandra Chichiy, president of the Ukrainian-Canadian Congress, said the weapons were welcome.

“The horrors of Russia, the deliberate, systematic crimes against humanity that Russia is committing – in Mariupol, Bucha, Chernihiv, Kharkiv and countless other places – show that Russia is committing genocide and trying to destroy the Ukrainian people,” she said. “We are grateful that Canada and its allies continue to provide the weapons and material resources that the brave Ukrainian armed forces need to defeat Russia.

– with an additional Reuters report

• Email: rtumilty@postmedia.com | Twitter: ryantumilty

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