Yaroslav Hunka received a standing ovation in the House of Commons last month after being introduced by the speaker without knowledge of his Nazi affiliations
Russia is demanding the extradition of a Canadian Ukrainian citizen for his past service to the German SS.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on Wednesday ordered law enforcement agencies to begin extraditing Yaroslav Hunka, 98, from Canada on charges related to his service to Nazi Germany.
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“Hunka must take full responsibility for his bloody crimes,” Shoigu said. “Such crimes against humanity know no bounds.”
Yaroslav Hunka was a former member of the 14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS, a Nazi military unit made up of Ukrainian volunteers engaged in the fight against the Soviet Union.
Last month, Hunka was invited by Speaker Anthony Rota to attend a speech by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Canadian House of Commons.
At the event, Hunka was introduced as a war hero, drawing loud applause from members of the House of Commons who were unaware of his service record.
In response to public outrage over Hunka’s presence, Speaker Anthony Rota resigned from his position, taking full responsibility for the inclusion of the Nazi veteran.
“No one in this House is above us. So I have to step down as your Speaker,” Rota said. During President Zelensky’s joint address to Parliament, he deeply regretted the mistake he had made in identifying a person in the House.
Following these events, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu ordered law enforcement agencies to continue the extradition of Hunka in both Russia and Belarus.
Sergei Shoigu has strongly condemned harboring Yaroslav Hunka, branding him a Nazi criminal responsible for the deaths of hundreds, if not thousands, of Russian citizens. He emphasized that such recourse cannot be justified on any ground.
It is worth noting that this demand is less likely to be realized. However, it underscores Russia’s efforts to reinforce its war narratives. Kremlin officials have often used Nazi Germany’s historic occupation of Ukraine as justification for their ongoing invasion from 2022.