Operation Unifier

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Operation UNIFIER was a Canada-led mission to help Ukraine strengthen its armed forces. Launched in 2015 after Russia’s 2014 actions in Crimea and eastern Ukraine, the program trained Ukrainian soldiers to improve their capabilities and support regional security, democracy, humanitarian aid, and economic stability.

Training took place mainly at the International Center for Security and Peacekeeping in Starychi, Ukraine, and at a demining center in Kamianets-Podilskyi, with a multinational group that included Canada, France, Denmark, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Sweden, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The first Canadian troops came from the 1st Battalion of the Royal Canadian Regiment. At its peak, about 200 Canadian soldiers rotated every six months, rising to around 260 by January 2022. Sweden also contributed, with Swedish officers joining the effort in 2021.

By 2018 the mission had conducted hundreds of training sessions, and more than 10,000 Ukrainian service members had been trained. By 2022 the total had grown to over 22,000. Canada announced extensions of Operation UNIFIER several times, extending the program to March 2022 and then to March 2025, and increasing the training complement.

In February 2022, as Russia renewed its invasion of Ukraine, the operation was temporarily paused and most Canadian units were moved to Poland. Sweden withdrew its contingent, and Ukrainian-trained forces began to receive help elsewhere. After Russia’s full-scale invasion, Canadian and French training slowed, and by August 2022 training for Ukrainian recruits shifted to the United Kingdom under a new arrangement called Operation Interflex, with the UK’s Ministry of Defence leading the effort alongside Canada and France. From late 2022 into early 2023, Canadian personnel also supported training missions in Poland.

Overall, Operation UNIFIER aimed to bolster Ukraine’s military, support regional stability, and help promote democratic governance, humanitarian aid, and economic growth by developing a more capable and professional Ukrainian armed force.