Canada may transfer decommissioned CRV7 missiles to Ukraine – CBC

Tens of thousands of air-to-ground missiles to be disposed of may be transferred to Ukraine by Canada, CBC reports.

At a parliamentary meeting the day before, the leader of the opposition Conservative Party of Canada, Pierre Poilievre, demanded that CRV7 missiles be sent to Ukraine. He stressed that it is better to give the ammunition to Ukraine than to dispose of it.

"Instead of forcing Canadians to pay millions of dollars to decommission these weapons, they should be given to Ukraine, which can use them to defend its sovereignty."

Canadian forces have 83,303 CRV7 missiles in service, which were developed in the 1980s and decommissioned in the early 2000s.

Three years ago, the government signed a contract to dispose of them over several years.

The Department of National Defense is considering these missiles as part of a possible future military assistance package, but not all missiles have warheads.

A spokesperson for Canada's defense ministry also confirmed that the possibility of transferring the missiles. However, the ministry believes that before sending missiles to Ukraine, it is necessary to find out the needs of the Ukrainian army and the effectiveness of the missiles.

"Before we send equipment to Ukraine, we coordinate closely with Ukraine to make sure that the aid will meet its military needs."

Since January 2022, Canada has already allocated over $8.9 billion in comprehensive support to Ukraine, including $4.95 billion in direct financial support and over $1.8 billion in military assistance.

In early October, Canada provided Ukraine with a new defense assistance package to help it fight through the cold season.

The country provided Leopard 2 tanks, air defense systems, artillery for armored vehicles and ammunition.

The Ukrainian military has also already received a batch of the latest armored vehicles.

Since Russia's illegal occupation of Crimea in 2014, Canada has imposed sanctions on more than 2,600 individuals and legal entities.

At a meeting of national security and foreign policy advisors in late October, Canadian representatives proposed creating a coalition of countries to facilitate the return of Ukrainian children deported to Russia.

Canada will allocate over $947 million for military assistance to Ukraine. These funds will be accrued until 2026.