OTTAWA –
Ottawa will create a special team to counter Russian disinformation and propaganda, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Tuesday.
Canada is also expanding its sanctions list to include 62 more individuals as well as Russian drone maker Concern Avtomatika in retaliation for Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
The prime minister announced the new measures during a special meeting with leaders from dozens of countries supporting Ukraine.
Tentatively intended to discuss Russia’s illegal annexation of the Crimean peninsula in 2014, the meeting took place on the eve of the six-month anniversary of Moscow’s full-scale invasion of its western neighbor.
Trudeau appeared via video link from Toronto, where he is hosting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who has also pledged more aid to Ukraine.
Trudeau and Scholz also rejected Russian claims that Western sanctions were responsible for rising food prices around the world, which the Canadian leader said was one of the reasons for the creation of the disinformation task force.
“When the Russian regime blames sanctions for the world’s food crisis, they are engaging in disinformation,” Trudeau said.
“We must continue to fight Russian disinformation. That is why Canada will establish a special team to help increase our capacity to monitor and detect Russian and other state-sponsored disinformation.”
The prime minister also announced that Canada will spend nearly $4 million on two projects to strengthen Ukraine’s military and police services, including mental health programs.
Some additional details on the Prime Minister’s promises to Ukraine:
-Sanctioned individuals include senior Russian government and defense officials -$ for the CDA-Ukraine Police Development Project and the Ministry of Defense -Disinformation Team to help understand, monitor, detect state-sponsored disinformation
— Rachel Aiello (@rachaiello) August 23, 2022
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on August 23, 2022.
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