Canada does not put any geographical restrictions on the use of Canadian-donated tanks and armored vehicles by Ukraine, CBC News reported on Aug. 16, citing the Canadian Defense Ministry.
This makes Canada another country that has greenlighted the use of most of Western-supplied hardware in Ukraine's ongoing incursion in Russia's Kursk Oblast, alongside Germany, the U.S., and the U.K.
"Ukrainians know best how to defend their homeland, and we're committed to supporting their capacity," said Andrée-Anne Poulin, a spokesperson for the ministry, as reported by CBC News.
Canada has donated at least eight Leopard 2A4 tanks, a few dozen armored combat support vehicles, hundreds of armored patrol vehicles, and several M-777 howitzers to Ukraine.
CNN captured footage of a Canadian-made Roshel Senator patrol vehicle crossing the Ukraine-Russia border into Russia on Aug. 15.
Ukraine launched its incursion into Russia's Kursk Oblast on Aug. 6. Kyiv and its Western partners have not commented on what weapons are being deployed in Russia, but multiple reports have indicated that this includes Bradley, Stryker, and Marder armored vehicles, as well as British Challenger 2 tanks.
Like their Canadian counterparts, the U.K. Defense Ministry confirmed that there has been no change of policy and Ukraine has the right to use British-supplied weapons – except for long-range Storm Shadow missiles – on Russian territory.
Previously, Germany cleared Ukraine to use German-supplied military equipment in the incursion into Russia’s Kursk Oblast.
The U.S. also said that the Kursk incursion is consistent with their policy on Ukraine's use of American-supplied arms but remains reluctant to greenlight strikes inside Russia with ATACMS missiles.
Martin Fornusek
