(Ottawa) The Liberal government says it will begin shipping decommissioned CRV7 rockets to Ukraine.
National Defense said in a news release Thursday that Canada would make an initial shipment of approximately 2,000 rockets.
Federal Conservatives have called on Ottawa to transfer its 83,303 rockets and Ukraine’s ambassador has said his country could use decommissioned weapons to fight the Russian invasion.
Canada will also donate 29 surplus Nanuk remote-controlled weapon systems and more than 130,000 rounds of surplus small arms ammunition.
Defense Minister Bill Blair made the announcement in Brussels during a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, which includes around 50 allied countries led by the United States.
The government says in its statement that the rockets have been tested to ensure their viability.
The release said Defense Research and Development Canada and Magellan Aerospace and Defense Research are currently testing additional samples of the rockets.
A spokesperson said the government plans to start shipping the engines in the coming weeks.
Yuliya Kovaliv, Ukraine’s ambassador to Canada, told a Senate committee in late May that Ukraine had learned how to repair donated weapons.
“We have limited resources, so we’re asking the Department of National Defense… if there’s anything that needs to be taken out of service — even if you think it’s in poor condition for your Canadian soldiers — we are ready to accept it,” she said.
