'A pretty incredible mission': Armed Forces veteran from Sask. set to return to Canada after leading Ukrainian training mission

Lt.-Col. Kurt Grimsrud, a two-decade CAF veteran from Regina, has been overseeing the more than 300 Canadian personnel leading training efforts across five missions taking place in the United Kingdom and Latvia as well as in Poland.

Author of the article:

Saskatoon StarPhoenix

Matthew Black

Published Jul 28, 2023 • 3 minute read

Lieutenant-Colonel Kurt Grimsrud, Task Force Commander, Operation UNIFIER addresses? Canadian Armed Forces members upon completion of Rotation 15 of Operation UNIFIER on July 03, 2023 in the United Kingdom. Supplied Photo/Master Sailor Valerie LeClair, OP UNIFIER Photo by Master Sailor Valerie LeClair /Master Sailor Valerie LeClair

It’s been a few months to remember for CFB Edmonton’s Lt.-Col. Kurt Grimsrud.

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A two-decade Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) veteran from Regina, he will be on a plane back to Alberta next week after wrapping up his deployment as task force commander for Rotation 15 on Operation Unifier, the CAF military training and capacity building mission in support of Ukraine’s military and its battle against the Russian invaders.

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“It’s been a tremendous honour,” Grimsrud told Postmedia in an interview from Poland this week.

“Actually being able to be involved in world events where you’re engaged with the Ukrainians helping them in their fight for their own sovereignty, their freedom and their independence, it’s been a very fulfilling task.”

Grimsrud has been overseeing the more than 300 Canadian personnel leading training efforts across five missions taking place in the United Kingdom and Latvia as well as in Poland.

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It’s been what he described as “a pretty incredible mission” for him and his troops, but their minds are never far from those who they are preparing for battle.

“We’ve seen dedication. We’ve seen a lot of commitment … they train hard. They pay attention. They listen,” he said of the Ukrainians.

“They’ve been great students.”

‘HELP THEM BE SUCCESSFUL’

Operation Unifier was first announced in April 2015, about 14 months after Russia began its efforts to annex Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula.

The operation was initially scheduled to run until the end of March 2017, but that end date has since been extended three times, most recently earlier this year with the new end date of March 2026.

The operation’s training based in the U.K. centres around preparing fresh recruits who have just joined Ukraine’s military, and come from varied backgrounds including white-collar workers, an opera singer, and a radio DJ.

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“They’re getting taught to shoot, move, communicate and medicate,” Grimsrud said.

Those already serving as soldiers in Ukraine’s forces undergo more advanced training under Canadian watch, including armoured training on Leopard 2 tanks, combat medical training, battlefield leadership training, and sapper training including demolition and demining.

“We work with them to make sure that we’re providing them the best capabilities to help them be successful in the fights that they’re going to be in,” Grimsrud said.

It’s a role Canadian personnel have become adept at, and from whom the Ukrainian trainees are willing to learn from, with about 2,000 soldiers having been trained over the last five-month rotation.

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“They see competent, confident soldiers providing them knowledge on how to survive on the battlefield.”

Since the start of Operation Unifier in 2015, CAF personnel have trained more than 37,000, Ukrainian military and security personnel on battlefield tactics and advanced military skills.

The mission is largely training-based but also includes military aid delivery. Grimsrud said Canada has delivered $1.4 billion worth of aid since February 2022.

‘PROUD OF WHAT WE’RE DOING HERE’

Training missions last around a month for Ukrainian soldiers, Grimsrud said, after which they then return to Ukraine.

Canada’s role hasn’t gone unnoticed with Ukraine’s ambassador to Canada. Yuliya Kovaliv spoke about those efforts in an interview with Postmedia earlier this month.

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“This military support that all partners are providing us is the support that helps us to actually save lives,” she said.

“The world is not forgetting about Ukraine. The world is standing with Ukraine.”

Grimsrud said he’s pleased to have played a part in that support alongside other CAF personnel in a mission that those back in Canada should take note of.

“Canadians should be hearing about what we’re doing here and they should be proud of what we’re doing here,” he said.

“They are Canadians’ neighbours and friends and relatives doing incredible things and they should know about it, and they should be proud of the work that’s being done.”

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