Thank you, Mr. Chairman and members of the Standing Committing on National Defence, for convening these important hearings and conducting the study on Canada and the crisis in Ukraine, and for the invitation to appear alongside such an impressive group of renowned experts with whom you have been consulting over the past few weeks.
I can clearly recall that five years ago I appeared before similar hearings convened by the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development. At those hearings, I emphasized that the authoritarian criminal regime of then-president of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych and Russia were the two major threats to the Euro-Atlantic future of Ukraine, as well as to the security and stability of the west.
While the Yanukovych regime is gone, Russia remains. It remains as more of a threat now than before when it sought to meddle in Ukraine's international affairs. Russia's invasion and its war, which is, to be clear, the armed aggression and military occupation of the sovereign Ukrainian land of Crimea and parts of the Donbass region, has created an unprecedented international crisis. The only other similar situation in modern history occurred when troops from Nazi Germany marched into Sudetenland. As we all know, the west's faint-hearted response at that time to the blatant military aggression in the heart of Europe spawned World War II.
Russia's war in the geopolitical centre of Europe is now in its fourth year with no real sign of ending any time soon. The general staff of the Ukrainian armed forces reports that in the last 48 hours, four Ukrainian soldiers were killed and six were wounded in action. During that time, the ceasefire violations by Russian terrorist forces significantly escalated as they fired on Ukrainian positions 80 times in total, including with heavy weapons. Russian terrorist forces also shelled residential areas near the village of Zalizne. One civilian was injured.
The consequences are a human tragedy that include over two million displaced persons, over 10,000 dead, many tens of thousands maimed, and massive destruction of the Donbass infrastructure and thus a large segment of the Ukrainian industrial base. If this is not enough, Russia is also deeply engaged in hybrid warfare aimed at destabilizing Ukraine from within. The extent of the Kremlin's efforts to undermine the Ukrainian government, to aggravate political disagreements in Parliament, to foment social unrest, to create conflicts among ethnic and religious groups, to spread disinformation, and to intimidate people through acts of terror is unprecedented in comparison to similar efforts over the course of Ukraine's 26 years of independence.
I am a retired officer from the Canadian Armed Forces. My current occupation is a consultant in the military-industrial sphere. I am engaged with many not-for-profit and charitable projects involving the war zone of eastern Ukraine. I have been to the Donbass many times, including to the furthest positions along the line of demarcation. I could elaborate on this topic for a long time and in much detail. Unfortunately, the time allotted to me is very limited. I believe it suffices to share one glaring example.
There are now almost 500 Russian tanks in the Donbass, a contingent larger than the entire armoured corps of the current German army, not to mention offensive battle groups located on Russian soil next to Ukraine's borders. The Ukrainian army is at a serious disadvantage, and would be hard pressed to stop a full Russian offensive, especially if modern weapons and technologies were used. This is the reason Ukraine has consistently been requesting the west to provide modern defensive weapons.
Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased that our government is finally moving forward with the process that would see Ukraine added to the automatic firearms country control list. This tangible action by Canada speaks louder than all the so-called assurances from many other Euro-Atlantic partners of Ukraine.
The Ukrainian government provided Canada and our allies with the list of necessary military equipment, and requested that Canada recommence provision of military-grade satellite imagery. Canada should respond positively to the Ukrainian government's requests, and should also encourage our allies to provide further non-lethal as well as lethal defensive weapons. The military aid should include those called for in Anders Rasmussen's excellent op-ed two days ago in The Globe and Mail, such as advanced night-vision goggles, signal-jamming equipment, and counter-battery radars, but also such defensive items as FGM-148 Javelin anti-tank missiles.
I also fully concur with Mr. Rasmussen's recommendation to confront Vladimir Putin on his United Nations peacekeeping proposal.
Canada, as you will recall, gave birth to the very concept of peacekeeping, and since the 1950s has participated in more peacekeeping missions than any other country in the world. As such, our country is uniquely positioned to lead a peacekeeping mission in the Donbass. For this to work, however, the UN needs to be brought into the process of establishing terms and conditions that are fair, equitable, and geared to the principal goal of restoring Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty, including Ukrainian control over the Russian boarder. The Kremlin should be offered an off-ramp back into Russia for its military and its surrogates. That is all. There should be no meddling with restoring complete Ukrainian sovereignty for the sake of some sort of face-saving concessions to Mr. Putin.
Ukrainians have risen to the challenge on both counts of the Kremlin aggression: a military war in eastern Ukraine and a hybrid war in the rest of the country. Moreover, Ukrainians also have gone forward in reforming their government, economy, and society. There is much more that needs to be done still. However, more has been achieved in the last three years than during the first 23 years of Ukraine's independence: transparent government procurement, mandatory electronic declarations for government officials, and a western model of police force—with our Canadian help, of course—just to name a few. Similarly, education, pension, and health care reforms are being tackled simultaneously at a time of war, in dire economic conditions, and with Russia's hybrid methods seeking to manipulate and to represent these efforts to the polity in the most negative ways.
From the very outset of Ukraine's independence in 1991, Canada responded with understanding and assistance to the Ukrainian people. Canada was the first western country to recognize Ukrainian independence. It was also the first to confront the authoritarian practices of the Yanukovych regime and its policies of distancing Ukraine from Europe. Hence, the very first trip by former Prime Minister Stephen Harper to Ukraine seven years ago this month took place during the very first year of Yanukovych's tenure.
Today, it is Canada once again and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that not only acknowledge Ukraine's right to defend itself, but also work on finalizing the process of adding Ukraine to the AFCC list. This is in addition to supplying Ukrainian forces with the much-needed non-lethal military equipment, starting in the summer of 2015 when it was needed most. I am certain that Mr. Bezan, present here, will never forget that flight on the CC-130J Hercules aircraft from CFB Trenton to Ukraine to deliver the first batch of that much-needed equipment right to the front lines. It is also in addition to Operation Unifier—which is a great success, and which, by the way, currently is being proudly led by my Royal Military College of Canada classmate and close friend, Lieutenant-Colonel Kris Reeves—as well as to Canada's steadfast support of Ukraine on political and economic fronts.
In conclusion, ladies and gentlemen, the truth is that Ukraine remains the only real force standing between the Russian aggressors and the security and stability of Europe. Western leaders need to find wisdom and strength to adopt a far-sighted strategy for the free world. This, among other things, means doing more, not less, to support Ukraine at this critical time. The Canadian people and government have always been there to help the people of Ukraine. Today is no different. I am confident that we are ready to answer the call.
Thank you. I will be happy to answer any questions you may have.