On the agenda in Canada was the visit of the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, to the House of Commons with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, where they applauded the former commander of a Nazi division, Yaroslav Hunka.
The military’s presence was announced by the chamber’s president, Anthony Rota.
The fact embarrassed Zelensky’s allies in the war against Russia, given alleged Nazi ties to Ukraine. One of the reasons for Russians’ strong support for Vladimir Putin is the claim that he is fighting Nazism on Ukrainian soil.
Former Nazi soldier Jaroslaw Hunka, honored by Zelenski Photo: CBS TV reproduction.
“We have here in the House today a UkrainianCanadian World War II veteran who fought for Ukrainian independence against the Russians and continues to support the truth today. […] He is a Ukrainian hero, a Canadian hero and we thank him for all his service.”
The 98yearold confirmed to the AP agency that he belonged to Ukraine’s 1st Division and later emigrated to Canada.
The division’s headquarters were in the Ukrainian region of Galicia, known for committing war crimes against thousands of Polish civilians during World War II.