The Kremlin said Wednesday that a Ukrainian Nazi veteran inadvertently honored in the Canadian parliament last week should be brought to justice.
The speaker of Canada’s parliament resigned following the incident, which saw lawmakers publicly applaud 98-year-old Ukrainian veteran Yaroslav Hunka, who fought for the Nazis during World War II.
“Canadian authorities have a duty to bring to justice — or to extradite to those who wish to bring to justice — this criminal,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
Poland said Tuesday it was looking to extradite Hunka, and investigating whether the veteran — who fought for an SS unit — was wanted for crimes against Poles or Polish Jews.
Russia has accused Ukraine’s leadership of harboring Nazi elements, despite Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky being Jewish and losing family members in the Holocaust.
The Kremlin has seized on the incident in the Canadian parliament, with Peskov saying that “It is unequivocal that we are talking about a Nazi.”
Zelensky, who spoke to Canada’s parliament last week, expressed thanks for Ottawa’s backing since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion last year.