Members of the Canadian Armed Forces will be sent to Poland on a humanitarian mission in support of Ukrainian refugees fleeing the Russian invasion.
Speaking at the Trenton base in Canada on Thursday morning, Defense Secretary Anita Anand said the mission would help “ensure that Ukrainians fleeing the war receive the best possible support”.
Anand has allowed up to 150 troops to join the mission, but only about 100 will be deployed at the moment. They will assist in the processing of refugees, as well as provide medical services.
The mission is in response to a request from the Polish government as it tries to fight off a large influx of Ukrainians fleeing the war.
More than 4.7 million Ukrainians have fled to neighboring countries since the Russian invasion began in February. More than half of them – nearly 2.7 million – have fled to Poland.
Krakow, the country’s second-largest city with 800,000 inhabitants, has become a city of nearly a million in weeks after the arrival of some 150,000 displaced Ukrainians.
CAF members were in Poland last week to explore the possibility of deploying troops there to help with the refugee crisis.
The government launched a special immigration program last month that will allow Ukrainian refugees to live and work in Canada for up to three years, promising to accept an “unlimited” number of refugees fleeing the Russian war.
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