Canada has closed its airspace to Russian aircraft, effective immediately, as the federal government pledges more equipment for Ukraine.
Transport Minister Omar Alghabra announced on Twitter Sunday that Canada’s airspace will be closed to all Russian aircraft operators.
"We will hold Russia accountable for its unprovoked attacks against Ukraine," he said in a tweet.
Canada’s move comes as other European nations banned Russian planes from entering their own airspaces, including Germany, Austria, Italy, the Czech Republic, Poland, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania and Luxembourg, over the invasion of Ukraine.
Russia has since closed its airspace to many of those same countries, as fighting between its forces and Ukraine continued for a fourth day Sunday.
Prior to Canada’s announcement, Russia’s flagship carrier Aeroflot operated multiple flights per day through Canadian airspace en route to the U.S. and elsewhere.
The United Kingdom suspended Aeroflot’s foreign carrier permit on Thursday.
Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly on Sunday afternoon announced that at the request of Ukraine’s deputy prime minister, Canada will send $25 million worth of protective equipment to the country.
This includes helmets, body armour, gas masks and night vision gear.
Canada is working with Poland to ensure the equipment is transported to Ukraine, Joly said.
"And let me be clear," she added, "we will send more."
Joly also reiterated Canada’s intent to "suffocate" the Russian regime, a comment she made previously on CTV’s Question Period on Sunday.
Defence Minister Anita Anand said Canada would provide additional airlift support through the Canadian Armed Forces to be used by NATO and for the delivery of the aid, with the first aircraft departing for Europe on Monday.
The Armed Forces also is working with the Communications Security Establishment to provide Ukraine with cybersecurity intelligence, Anand said.
"Through these tumultuous times, we must unite as a country and redouble our efforts to support our allies and trusted international partners," she said.
Canada has joined its allies in imposing a number of sanctions on Russia, targeting Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov specifically.
Trudeau also said Canada would support the removal of Russia from the digital payment and messaging network SWIFT, which connects thousands of banks worldwide.
On Saturday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland spoke to Ukraine Prime Minister Denys Shymal to express their solidarity with the Ukrainian people, the Prime Minister’s Office said.
Along with sending 460 additional troops to join the approximately 800 already in Europe as part of NATO, Canada also has provided Ukraine with a $500-million loan and $7.8 million worth of lethal equipment and ammunition.
Anand confirmed that the lethal aid has been delivered in full. She said a Canadian combat mission in Ukraine is not on the table at this time.
Canada also has helped train about 33,000 Ukrainian soldiers.
Effective immediately, Canada’s airspace is closed to all Russian aircraft operators. We will hold Russia accountable for its unprovoked attacks against Ukraine.
— Omar Alghabra (@OmarAlghabra) February 27, 2022
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A small plane takes off from Vancouver International Airport at sunset, in Richmond, B.C., Monday, Oct. 25, 2021. (THE CANADIAN PRESS / Darryl Dyck)
