Canada spending $59M on assault rifles, machine guns for Ukraine

The latest federal package of military and financial assistance for Ukraine was unveiled Tuesday following a meeting between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal. Canada is spending $59 million to procure for Ukraine 21,000 assault rifles and machine guns, along with ammunition, from weapons maker Colt Canada, headquartered in Kitchener, Ont. The official said the air defence munitions are on their way to Ukraine — not the entire NASAMS system. A change in Russian military tactics is driving the new sense of urgency about Ukraine's air defences. "The [Russian] air force has not been active in Ukraine for a year now because of the fear of getting shot down.