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OTTAWA — Canada is committing up to $24 million to support “elections and democracy” in Ukraine, including money to counter Russian disinformation, as tensions between Russia and the West continue to rise.

Up to $2.5 million is going towards “countering disinformation,” specifically from Russia. A background document provided by Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland’s office expresses Canada’s position bluntly: “Russia’s objective is to disrupt the stability of the Ukrainian state and throw into question the very legitimacy of democracy in the eyes of Ukrainian citizens.”

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Freeland made the funding announcement in Milan, Italy on Thursday at a conference of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. It comes as a naval standoff between Russia and Ukraine continues in the waters off Crimea, the territory Russia annexed in 2014 — and as democracies continue to grapple with foreign attempts to influence voters via social media.