Ambassador calls on Trudeau to apologize to Russians for incident with SS veteran

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s words of regret about the incident with an SS veteran in the Canadian Parliament are not enough; the politician must apologize to the Russians. This is stated in a statement by the Russian Ambassador to Ottawa Oleg Stepanov.

“I believe that despite the deep differences between Moscow and Ottawa in the context of the current geopolitical situation, the government and Parliament of Canada are obliged to find the courage and apologize to all Russians and the Russian community of Canada for the shameful incident that the whole world watched on September 22,” he said (quote according to TASS).

According to Stepanov, Trudeau’s statement cannot be considered an apology at all. He recalled that during the Second World War, 11 million Soviet soldiers died on the battlefield, another 16 million civilians “became victims of ethnic cleansing” by the SS, including the 14th SS Division “Galicia.”

The Russian ambassador noted that more than 200,000 people with Russian roots live in Canada. According to him, “virtually every Russian family, including Russian Canadians, lost at least one relative in the fight against Nazism.”

On September 22, Liberal MP, Speaker of the House of Commons Anthony Rota invited veteran of the SS Galicia division Yaroslav Hunka (Hunko) to a meeting of the Canadian Parliament with the participation of Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky. He was introduced as a war hero and received applause. Rota later apologized “to every Holocaust survivor and World War II veteran.” On September 26, it became known that the Speaker of the House of Commons would resign.

On September 27, Trudeau, speaking in the House of Commons, called the incident a disgrace “for all of Canada.” He also apologized to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the Ukrainian delegation “for the position in which they were placed,” stressing that Ottawa will continue to support Kyiv.

Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov named “sloppy” is the attitude towards the memory of the Second World War in Canada. He also stated that Canadian authorities have an obligation to extradite and bring Hunka to justice. Earlier at the Russian Embassy in Canada reportedthat Moscow is studying Hunka’s history and may initiate a criminal case and a request for his extradition.