Ottawa is aware of Yaroslav Hunka’s past but refuses to extradite him, Russia’s ambassador has said
Moscow will continue its efforts to ensure Canada extradites 99-year-old SS veteran Yaroslav Hunka to Russia to face charges, Russian Ambassador in Ottawa Oleg Stepanov stated.
Hunka, who openly acknowledged joining the Waffen-SS Galicia Division during World War II, gained notoriety last September after receiving a standing ovation as a guest in Canada’s Parliament during a visit by Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky. Hunka’s unit participated in brutal anti-guerrilla operations in Poland and Soviet Ukraine between 1993 and 1944, with members accused of massacres and other atrocities against Polish, Jewish, and Russian civilians.
In late 2023, Russia requested Canada extradite the then 98-year-old Ukrainian-Canadian on accusations of genocide related to his suspected involvement in the murder of at least 500 Soviet citizens. However, Ottawa rejected the request, citing the lack of a relevant treaty between the two nations.
On Thursday, Russia’s Prosecutor General’s Office announced that Hunka’s name had been added to the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) database. The agency stated that the search for the Nazi veteran continues and that it would demand his extradition if he is found in other countries.
Ambassador Stepanov told RIA-Novosti on Saturday that the Canadian government led by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is being “disingenuous” when it claims that Hunka is “clean.”
The envoy explained that Canada’s practice is to consider anyone claiming to have fled Communism and not committed crimes within Canadian territory as a good citizen. “They turn a blind eye to what they did before they arrived here, as if it never happened,” he added.
“But the truth cannot be hidden… The authorities [in Ottawa] are well aware of [Hunka’s] dark past, and of the shameful biographies of thousands more of [Adolf] Hitler’s collaborators who found refuge in Canada after 1945,” Stepanov emphasized.
Moscow’s embassy in Canada will continue working to ensure that “the Nazi henchman is sent to Russia,” he insisted.