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Canada’s foreign affairs minister wrapped up a semi-stealth visit to Ukraine early Thursday by announcing another $21 million in aid — much of it intended to respond to cases of war-related sexual violence.
Melanie Joly’s visit included a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his wife Olena Zelenska. This was supposed to be done without notice, but the president’s office announced that he was present in a statement and photos, which were taken by local and international media.
The minister’s office still insists that the two-day trip – which saw Joly visit a de-mining training center and several bombed-out buildings in Kyiv – remains under the radar for unspecified security reasons.
Speaking before his departure, Joly said his aim was to deliver a message of reassurance on the eve of the one-year anniversary of the full Russian invasion.
“Canada has been a steadfast supporter [of Ukraine], “He said. “We are all in Canada and know what this is about right. And we will be there until victory and even after.”
Nearly $14 million of this latest funding package will go towards efforts to combat sexual violence by, among other things, increasing the capacity of Ukrainian police to respond to such crimes.
More Canadian money is earmarked for de-mining efforts; $7.5 million is going to a company called Tetra Tech to help fund equipment and training.
The Joly tour de-mining training center on the outskirts of the Ukrainian capital is run by the HALO Trust, a non-governmental organization.
It previously received a $2 million grant from the Canadian government to train volunteers from several local communities to safely clean mines using a very difficult meter-by-meter system.
Joly spoke to several volunteers during the tour. He said he wanted to know what motivated him as an individual “to do dangerous work.”
About 30 percent of Ukraine’s land area is contaminated by landmines or unexploded ordnance.
Canada’s latest contribution is in addition to $15 million announced in December for equipment Ukraine needs to clear land mines.
Jasmine Dann, Canadian officer and operations officer with the HALO Trust, said her organization is “trying to make life safe for people so they can go back home, go back to their livelihoods so they can live safely.”
It’s “a painstaking effort where you clear meter by meter,” says Dann, who is responsible for all trust exercises in Ukraine.
Minesweepers found all kinds of munitions on the ground, including booby-trapped grenades, anti-tank mines and butterfly mines.
Shortly after launching a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia was accused of dropping thousands of miniature PFM-1 ‘butterfly’ mines, also known as pedal mines. Since then, there have been reports of anti-personnel explosives raining down on built-up areas in Russian-held Donetsk last July.
The British defense ministry again blamed Russia. However, Ukraine – a signatory to the 2006 Mine Ban Treaty – still has a stockpile of millions of butterfly mines left by the Soviet Union.
Russia is not a party to the treaty but is still subject to humanitarian law, which prohibits deliberate attacks on civilian populations without military objectives.
“Cluster munitions are definitely something we find in our work,” Dann said. “We came together after we had no way to verify how they were laid.”
CBC News has been on the ground about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine since its inception. Do you want to know about his experience there? Send an email to ask@cbc.ca. Our reporter will answer your questions as we approach our one-year anniversary.
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