A military transport jumbo jet departed a Canadian base Thursday, carrying non-lethal military equipment to help Ukrainian troops secure their border with Russia. The shipment is in response to "Russian expansionism and militarism in eastern Ukraine," Prime Minister Stephen Harper said in a statement.
It is the first of a series of planned flights "to deliver non-kinetic military equipment that Ukraine will be able to use to secure and protect its eastern border against Russian aggression," he said. The equipment includes helmets, ballistic eyewear, protective vests, first aid kits, tents and sleeping bags. It comes as the centre of the main rebel bastion Donetsk was hit by sustained bombardment for the first time in four months of fighting, and as fears mounted that Moscow was preparing to send troops into the conflict-torn east of the country.