Donated Canadian-built armoured vehicles break down often, Ukrainian commander says

Ukrainian troops are learning that some of their Canadian-donated vehicles have limited usefulness close to the frontlines, a military official in the eastern part of that embattled country told CBC News.

In a recent interview near the embattled city of Kharkiv, Yuriy Fedorenko, commander of the Achilles drone unit in the Ukrainian 92nd Brigade, said the Roshel-manufactured Senator armoured cars in his unit have broken down frequently.

«It is not designed to drive off-road,» Fedorenko said, adding the vehicles seem better suited to law enforcement than combat.

«This is an option for the police, for the protection of public order, but it fulfils its task. It saves people. When there is no alternative, it is what we need.»

The Ukrainians have been driving the vehicles hard. The Senators, which look like SUVs on steroids, suffer broken springs when off-roading.

«This is more an option to go on asphalt,» Fedorenko said. «It fails quite often.»

He said Ukrainian vehicle technicians have managed to repair the Senators and keep them on the road.

Canada has donated 208 Senator vehicles to the Ukrainian military since Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022.

Andrée-Anne Poulin, a spokesperson for the Department of National Defence (DND), acknowledged the Ukrainian military has expressed concerns about the armoured cars and said their utility near the frontlines is limited. Poulin said there were already several Senators in Ukraine's inventory before Canada donated more of the vehicles.

«The Roshel Senator vehicles were specifically requested by the Government of Ukraine,» said Poulin in a statement issued to CBC News.

Vehicles not built for combat, DND says

She described the Senators as «security task vehicles» that are easily