The Kremlin on Wednesday called for the trial of a former Ukrainian soldier who fought with the Nazis but was honored last week in the Canadian Parliament, prompting Poland to open an investigation with a view to possible extradition.
“The Canadian authorities are obliged to bring this criminal to justice or hand him over to those who want to do justice. It is clear that he is a Nazi,” declared the spokesman for the Russian presidency, Dmitri Peskov.
SS fighter
During Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to Ottawa last Friday, the Speaker of the Canadian House of Commons, Anthony Rota, applauded Yaroslav Hunka, a 98-year-old Ukrainian accused of having fought in the SS during World War II. .
On Tuesday, Anthony Rota announced his resignation in the face of outrage, especially from Jewish organizations, caused by this tribute.
In the afternoon, the Polish Minister of Education announced that he had requested an investigation to verify whether this Ukrainian veteran had not committed crimes in Poland, with a view to his possible extradition.
“The speaker of the (Canadian) parliament resigned and assumed this responsibility. But what can we say about Parliament itself, which stood up and applauded this fascist? Reason demands a condemnation of Nazism (…) Otherwise, “It is a Parliament that has become dirty,” Dmitri Peskov denounced on Wednesday.
“We can only honor the memory of Ukrainian veterans who fought against fascism, including (Volodymyr) Zelensky’s grandfather,” he added.
This scandal is widely commented on by Russian authorities and state media, which present the offensive in Ukraine as a fight against alleged neo-Nazis in power, supported by the West.
Source: BFM TV
