Ukraine cleared to use armour donated by Canada on Russian territory

Ukraine is free to use Canadian-donated tanks and armoured vehicles inside Russia, the Department of National Defence said Thursday.

The statement comes as speculation grows among military experts about how long Ukraine can stay on the offensive in Russia's Kursk region — and about the long-term impact the surprise cross-border incursion will have on the long-running war.

Canada has donated eight Leopard 2A4 tanks, a few dozen armoured combat support vehicles and hundreds of armoured patrol vehicles, as well as a handful of M-777 howitzers.

News footage captured by CNN along the Ukrainian border on Thursday showed a Canadian-made Senator patrol vehicle crossing into Russia.

«Ukrainians know best how to defend their homeland, and we're committed to supporting their capacity,» Andrée-Anne Poulin, a spokesperson for the defence department, said in a media statement.

«Canada places no geographic restrictions on the use of military equipment that we donate to Ukraine.»

It's not clear how much — if any — of the equipment Canada donated was in the hands of the specially-equipped Ukrainian brigades when they stormed across the border on Aug. 6.

Poulin said that Canada's donations always conform to the requirements of the Arms Trade Treaty, the international agreement meant to reduce illegal arms transfers and human rights abuses.

Col.-Gen. Oleksandr Syrskii, Ukraine's top military commander, said his troops now control dozens of villages and 1,150 square kilometres in the Kursk region. He also said that Kyiv has set up a military command in the area.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed Thursday that Ukrainian forces have taken control of the Russian town of Sudzha, which is located near a Russian natural gas terminal — a