A decision was made to temporarily recall four Swedish officers who participated in the Canadian Unifier mission in Ukraine. This was reported on Monday, February 14, on the website of the Swedish Armed Forces.
It is noted that at the moment the Swedes participating in the mission are in Poland.
“In connection with the actions of Russia on the border with Ukraine, the threat to the Unifier mission has increased significantly. Therefore, the Canadian leadership has decided to temporarily withdraw its staff,” follows from the material.
The agency clarified that the Swedish Armed Forces have provided personnel for the Canadian-led Operation Unifier training operation since 2018.
On February 11, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said during a press conference that the West is not interested in confrontation with Russia, but will continue to support Ukraine against the backdrop of the situation on the Russian-Ukrainian border.
In addition, Trudeau said that the Canadian government has extended Operation Unifier for the third time – it will run until the end of March 2025. According to him, the number of personnel of the training mission in Ukraine will eventually be increased from 200 to 400 people.
Since 2015, Canada has been training soldiers and officers of the Ukrainian army at the Yavoriv training ground in the Lviv region as part of Operation Unifier.
Against the background of information about the alleged threat of an armed conflict in Ukraine, a number of European countries called on their citizens to leave the country. In addition, some states initiated the departure of some diplomats from Ukraine.
Thus, on February 12, the US State Department ordered non-critical US diplomats in Kiev to leave Ukraine. The diplomatic mission added that such a decision is connected with the alleged increase in the number of Russian military personnel on the border with Ukraine, which “indicates the possibility of significant military operations.”
The Russian side also decided to reduce the number of employees in diplomatic missions in Ukraine. The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, noted that in the West, they probably “know about some military actions being prepared in Ukraine that can significantly complicate the security situation.”
Source: IZ
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
