Canada is still considering whether to transfer decommissioned missiles to Ukraine: Defense Minister names the main difficulty

Canada is still considering the possibility of transferring decommissioned CRV7 air-to-ground missiles to Ukraine. The country's Defense Ministry is studying how useful these missiles will be for the Ukrainian Armed Forces and how to transport them safely.

This was stated by Canadian Defense Minister Bill Blair. According to him, the main difficulty is that CRV7 missiles are decades old and can be dangerous to transport.

Blair explained that Canada was considering supplying Ukraine with these missiles, which were transferred for disposal at the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion. But "at that time, Ukraine's ability to use them was extremely limited."

"However, later we saw that the Ukrainians had found ingenious ways to use other technologies, such as drones, which could make these munitions useful to them," added the Canadian defense minister.

According to Blair, Canada is currently checking whether the decommissioned missiles are suitable for use and transportation.

"We are working with the Ukrainians and our allies to make sure that these missiles can be put to good use. This work is proceeding as quickly as possible because the need is urgent," the minister added.

The Canadian Armed Forces have more than 83,000 CRV7 missiles in service, which were developed in the 1980s and were considered one of the most powerful air-to-ground missiles of their time. But to this day, the CRV7 remains one of the most powerful unguided assault missiles, having become the de facto standard air defense missile of Western countries (except the United States) and their allies.

In the early 2000s, Canada decommissioned these missiles. Three years ago, the federal government signed a contract for their disposal.

The Canadian Department of Defense has said that it is considering the decommissioned CRV7s as part of a possible future military assistance package, but not all missiles have warheads. Nevertheless, Ukraine calls on Canada to transfer these munitions as soon as possible. The Canadian opposition also supports us in this.

As a reminder, during the debate in the House of Commons on the bill to update the Canada-Ukraine Free Trade Agreement, Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre said that the Ukrainian Armed Forces needed these missiles. According to the politician, Ukraine asked Canada to donate the CRV7s instead of destroying them.

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