Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - February 25, 2022, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE A3 TOP NEWS ASSOCIATE EDITOR NEWS: STACEY THIDRICKSON 204-697-7292 ● CITY.DESK@FREEPRESS.MB.CA ● WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.COM A3 FRIDAY FEBRUARY 25, 2022 “Manitoba is home to thousands of citizens of Ukrainian descent who have watched Russia’s buildup of military forces in the region and repeated threats to the sovereignty of Ukraine. It is unacceptable behaviour, and I thoroughly condemn those actions. … It is hard to imagine how difficult watching the news must be for so many Manitobans who have loved ones in Ukraine. I share your concerns, and Manitoba will support the federal government in everything it can to pressure Russia to end its aggression and restore peace in the region.” — Premier Heather Stefanson ● ● ● “The Russian invasion of Ukraine is an unaccept- able and unprovoked act of war which makes Russia an international outlaw. Manitoba is home to many Ukrainian Canadians who endured ter- rible suffering under totalitarian, undemocratic regimes. Manitoba cannot sit on the sidelines.” — Manitoba Liberal caucus letter to premier ● ● ● “The Manitoba NDP stands with the people of Ukraine, and the Ukrainian community in Manitoba and Canada, and we condemn Russia’s violent imperialism. We will continue to work with the Manitoba Ukrainian community to identify ways to help those who are in danger.” — Manitoba NDP Leader Wab Kinew ● ● ● “I’m heartbroken by what we’re seeing right now. My wife’s family is Ukrainian-Canadian and many Winnipeggers have a deep and personal tie to Ukraine. This act of war that has been initiated by Russia is horrible and should be condemned by Canadians. I think right now it’s important that we stand with Ukrainian-Canadians and those who have connections to Ukraine and we support the efforts of our federal government and G7 to also condemn it as well as NATO.” — Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman ● ● ● “The Ukrainian community in Manitoba is heart- broken today to see their friends, relatives and homeland under siege. Governments at every level must do everything they can to pursue peace and protect the Ukrainian people from Russia’s violent and imperialist invasion. Ukrainian sovereignty and independence must be protected.” — Mark Wasyliw, NDP MLA ● ● ● “My first thought was with my family and friends who live in Ukraine and the second was that the West failed again. All those sanctions that we saw imposed on Russia, they’ve done nothing. They couldn’t stop Russia from attacking Ukraine. I was horrified when I saw this missile strike at my hometown, which is 1,500 kilometres from Russia. The whole world needs to step in now… economic sanctions don’t work. Right now, it looks like Ukraine is left alone to fight but it’s going to be a major consequence to Europe if Ukraine is alone… I wish Ukraine had been a part of NATO years ago.” — Dmytro Malyk, second vice-president of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress Manitoba chapter ● ● ● “I’m getting contacted by my friends, and people who have family over there, and getting first-hand accounts and videos. I barely slept last night watching this play out. Canada and our allies must do whatever it takes to support Ukraine, and nothing should be off the table. When (U.S. Presi- dent Joe) Biden came to the microphone and said that the United States will not be fighting against Russia, that essentially was the green-light for Pu- tin to invade, knowing that there was going to be no military consequences from the United States and NATO. The cost of not supporting Ukraine is just too great. It means that dictators, despots and barbaric thugs like Putin are redrawing unilat- erally the lines on a map, against the accepted, international rule of law. This is a pivotal moment in our history. Are we going to be Churchill or are we going to be Chamberlains?” — Manitoba Conservative MP James Bezan, whose grandparents came from Ukraine ● ● ● “There is going to be a real concern about refugees and people escaping execution and imprisonment by the Russians. A lot of people are in pretty vulnerable positions like judges, government officials, human rights activists… journalists, lawyers. I don’t think the sanctions will have enough of an impact; they’ll hurt but won’t deter… Do we start moving on Putin and gangs, and charging them with war crimes? Putin has to be a pariah (and that’s) one way of doing that.” — Lloyd Axworthy, former foreign affairs minister ● ● ● “I was absolutely shocked and devastated, as much as an academic I anticipated that the scenario was likely, seeing it unfold was horrific. I’m still shocked. Russia declared a war not only against Ukraine but also against the rule’s-based international order. At the same time Putin is striking against the global West by threatening to respond with potential nuclear weapons if Ukraine gets assistance. The results of this crisis will have a lot to do with the future of Ukraine and its ability to exist as a sovereign nation, but I’m still hopeful the Ukrainian armed forces will defend the country and that eventually this crisis will lead to the collapse of Vladimir Putin’s authoritarian leadership.” — Yuliia Ivaniuk, co-ordinator of the Centre for Ukrainian Canadian Studies at the U of M Local leaders weigh in OTTAWA — Shock and horror turned to anger on Thursday as Canada and its allies responded to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine with a barrage of new sanc- tions that target the Russian economy and its leaders that they hoped would avert war. Yet after having warned Russian President Vladimir Putin for weeks that such a punishment was coming if he attacked Ukraine, it remained even more uncertain what would force him to reverse course. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau ac- cused Putin of sparking the greatest threat to European stability since the Second World War. He said the inva- sion of Ukraine represents an attack on democracy, international law, human rights and freedom. “Russia’s actions stand in direct oppo- sition to the democratic principles that generations of Canadians have fought to protect,” Trudeau said. “Democracies and democratic leaders everywhere must come together to defend these principles and stand firmly against au- thoritarianism.” The invasion was preceded by a Rus- sian military buildup around Ukraine followed by weeks of dialogue and warnings from Trudeau, U.S. President Joe Biden and European leaders about devastating sanctions if Putin attacked. As Russian paratroopers reportedly took control of an airport only kilome- tres from the Ukrainian capital Kyiv and more Russian troops poured into the country after a barrage of ear- ly-morning missiles hit sites across Ukraine, the sanctions were unveiled. Fifty-eight people and entities con- nected to Russia, including major banks, political leaders, oligarchs and their families, as well as the paramili- tary organization known as the Wagner Group are being sanctioned by Canada. Also on the list are members of the Russian Security Council, including key cabinet ministers close to Putin. Canada is also cancelling existing export permits for Russia. Foreign Af- fairs Minister Mélanie Joly, who earlier summoned Russia’s ambassador for a dressing down at Global Affairs Cana- da, estimated the permits amounted to $700 million in trade. The Russian embassy in Ottawa is- sued a defiant statement late Thursday defending its government’s position, saying the West was trying to turn Ukraine into the “anti-Russia.” “The evolved political-military situ- ation and dynamic of NATO military posture in Europe created a clear and immediate danger for Russia that could not have been mitigated by any other means than those Russia has to use to- day,” reads the statement. “The attempts by the West to turn Ukraine into a kind of “anti-Russia” will not succeed.” Trudeau joined Biden and European leaders who also moved to strangle Rus- sia’s financial ability to wage war while punishing Putin and his inner circle. Trudeau’s office said he spoke by phone with President Volodymyr Zel- enskyy to offer support and said the Ukrainian leader welcomed the arrival of two shipments of lethal military aid. But a Canadian international affairs expert said Canada and its allies failed Ukraine by not doing enough in the past. “I don’t think more sanctions will stop Putin. He’s made his decision how far he will go,” Michael Bociurkiw said in an interview from the western Ukrainian city of Lviv. He is a Canadian who formerly served as the spokesman for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Eu- rope during the height of tensions fol- lowing Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in 2014. “Zelenskyy and his team have been begging and begging and begging the West for crippling sanctions to happen before an invasion. The West did not lis- ten to that. Their response was actually quite weak, especially the White House one. So now we have what we have.” The Ukrainian Canadian Congress, which represents 1.3 million Canadians of Ukrainian descent, called for Russia to be tossed from the banking system as part of “devastating” sanctions. “Ukraine needs weapons with which to defend itself right now,” UCC execu- tive director Ihor Michalchyshyn added in a statement. “Most importantly they need anti-air systems like Stinger mis- siles and other air defence and naval defence systems.” Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, who is of Ukrainian descent, spoke directly to Ukrainians and Rus- sians in their own languages. “Ukraine is not yet dead,” Freeland said in Ukrainian before switching to Russian and saying: “Our quarrel is not with the Russian people — it is with President Putin and those around him who have made the choice to threaten a sovereign democracy.” Andrii Bukvych, the Ukrainian chargé d’affaires to Canada, urged the severing of diplomatic relations with Russia and for NATO to enforce a no- fly zone over his country to prevent Russian aerial bombardments. “We do understand there is a high toll that the free world economy of West- ern economies will pay for deterring Russia, for supporting Ukraine,” the Ukrainian envoy added. “But I believe that this toll is still much more less than having World War Three, which will in- evitably take place unless Putin will be stopped in Ukraine.” Yet despite the stakes and unity, Can- ada and NATO have made clear they have no plan to send troops into Ukraine to fight Russia. They have instead rein- forced the military alliance’s presence in eastern Europe in case the conflict expands beyond Ukraine. Defence Minister Anita Anand said 3,400 Canadian Armed Forces mem- bers are being put on standby in case they need to deploy in a hurry. Those forces are on top of the 460 additional troops promised to NATO operations in Europe earlier this week. Meanwhile, Trudeau announced Can- ada has arranged for the safe passage of any Canadian citizens, permanent resi- dents and their families still in Ukraine through land borders with Poland, Slo- vakia, Hungary, Romania and Moldova. The federal government will be pri- oritizing immigration applications for Ukrainians who want to come to Can- ada and is launching a dedicated tele- phone line for anyone who has any ur- gent questions about emigrating from Ukraine, he added. In a rare show of unity, political lead- ers across Canada set aside their differ- ences to condemn Putin’s actions and voice support for Ukraine, including interim Conservative Leader Candice Bergen, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and Ontario Premier Doug Ford. “Putin’s contemptible aggression and invasion of Ukraine is unacceptable,” Bergen said in a statement. “His attack on the Ukrainian people and their dem- ocratically elected government is despi- cable.” Singh called on the government to immediately impose severe econom- ic sanctions “where it hurts Putin the most,” including by targeting Russian oligarchs who support him and kicking Russia from the global banking system. — The Canadian Press Canada redoubles sanctions after Russia strikes Ukraine MIKE BLANCHFIELD AND LEE BERTHIAUME ● MORE COVERAGE ON A12 More troops on standby, promise of safe passage for Canadians, families fleeing embattled country WASHINGTON — In the opening hours of Russia’s assault on Ukraine, ballistic missiles by the dozens struck mostly military targets across the country, but there was little sign of Russian soldiers crossing the border or naval infantry landing on Ukraine’s shores. So was this an invasion, or something less? The ambiguity did not last long. Russian ground forces soon captured the Chernobyl nuclear site north of Kyiv, the capital, and other Russian troops were seen moving on Kharkiv, the country’s second- largest city to the east. Pentagon officials said Thursday this was the first phase of a Russian war whose ultimate aim appeared to be “decapita- tion” of the Ukrainian government, meaning the removal by force of its elected leadership. U.S. President Joe Biden, who two days earlier declared “the beginning of a Russian invasion of Ukraine” when Russian forces began moving into the separatist regions in eastern Ukraine, used other terms Thursday: “brutal assault” and “premeditated attack.” “Putin chose this war,” Biden said, and the United States and others will fight back with non-military means. He announced U.S. sanctions targeting Russian banks, oligarchs and high-tech sectors. U.S. and other international sanctions are the West’s main tool for punishing Putin; unless he extends the war into NATO territory, the U.S. and its allies will not join the fighting. WHAT’S HAPPENING ON THE GROUND? The full dimensions of the Russian invasion are not yet clear. As expected, Putin has used a lethal combination of attacks, including cyberattacks, missile and artillery strikes, airborne assaults and other means to try to disrupt Ukrainian com- manders’ ability to direct a cohesive defence. He appeared to be laying the groundwork for an intensifying assault. In announcing his “special military operation,” Putin said his goal was to “demilitarize” Ukraine, a euphemism for destroying its armed forces. Whether that entails capturing control of the entire country, in addition to Kyiv, is yet to be seen. Ukrainian forces were fighting back, but the scale and effectiveness of their defences was hard to judge in the early going. IS THIS AN INVASION? In his remarks from the White House on Thurs- day, Biden said Putin “moved more than 175,000 troops and military equipment into positions along the Ukrainian border. He moved blood supplies into position and built field hospitals, which tells you all that you need to know about his intentions all along.” WHAT WILL WASHINGTON DO? Biden has made it clear he would not send U.S. troops into Ukraine, but on Thursday the Pentagon said he approved sending 7,000 additional troops to Germany to reassure NATO Allies, deter Russian aggression and “be prepared to support a range of requirements in the region.” WILL RUSSIAN TROOPS STOP AT UKRAINE? Putin has given no indication he intends to start a war on NATO territory, but the allied nations still worry. That is why the Biden administration sent additional troops to Poland this month and set up a more robust military headquarters staff in Ger- many, while shifting 1,000 troops from Germany to Romania and sending combat aircraft to other eastern European countries. Biden said he would participate in a virtual conference today with the heads of NATO govern- ments to assess and coordinate strategy for re- sponding, including a potential flood of refugees. “The United States will defend every inch of NATO territory with the full force of American power,” he said. — The Associated Press CALL IT AN INVASION ADRIAN WYLD / THE CANADIAN PRESS ‘Democacies and democratic leaders everywhere must come together,’ says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, ‘and stand firmly against authoritarianism.’ A_03_Feb-25-22_FP_01.indd 3 2022-02-24 10:05 PM ;