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The infiltration of the Ukrainian military does not only involve formal intelligence operatives. Ukrainians sympathetic to Moscow are believed to be working inside or close to almost all Ukrainian military units, making all aspects of the conflict — including training for war — that much harder for those assisting the Ukrainian side.

Several Canadian officers familiar with the Ukrainian file said they were aware of possible Russian interest in what the Canadian trainers would be doing, but they did not elaborate.

Because of the pervasiveness of Russian intelligence operations in Ukraine, the satellite imagery that Canada has begun to supply to the Ukrainians could also quickly end up back in Moscow. It is thought that the reason that Washington has been unwilling to share its best satellite imagery with the Ukrainians is that it does not want the Russians to find out what its satellite capabilities are.

While Russian espionage will undoubtedly make the Canadian mission harder, it probably does not pose any additional physical risk to the Canadian trainers. As Defence Minister Jason Kenney repeatedly emphasized when announcing the planned summer deployment in Ottawa, the Canadians will be working with U.S. and other NATO trainers far from where the war is being fought in eastern Ukraine. If the situation in Ukraine worsens, Kenney noted, the Canadians can travel to the safety of nearby Poland from where they could be evacuated.