Trudeau Invited Nazi Collaborator Hunka to Attend Parliament Session - Russian Embassy

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – The Office of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was the one that extended an invitation to Ukrainian Nazi collaborator Yaroslav Hunka to appear before the country’s House of Commons (HoC) in September, the Russian Embassy in Ottawa said on Tuesday.

On Monday, the Globe and Mail reported that it was Trudeau’s office that invited Hunka to a private reception hosted for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as he was visiting Canada.

"Now it’s official – it was PM JustinTrudeau who invited SS criminal to the Parliament last year," the embassy said in a statement shared via X.

The Embassy reacted to media reports and a letter now circulating in which it is written that Trudeau invited Hunka for a private reception on September 22.

“Dear Yaroslav Hunka, The Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada, is pleased to invite you to a special event. The event will take place on Friday, September 22, 2023, at 8.30 p.m. in Toronto, Ontario,” the letter dated September 19, said.

Former Speaker of the HoC Anthony Rota had to resign and assume responsibility for supposedly not having made the necessary background screening which had led Canada into a rather embarrassing scandal following the incident.

In September, the 98-year-old Nazi collaborator was invited, allegedly by Rota, to attend Zelensky's address at the Canadian parliament. Hunka was introduced as a hero who fought against the Russians during World War II and received two standing ovations from the entire Canadian legislature.

The honoring of the ex-SS member triggered outcries from Russia, Poland, and other countries, with senior Russian and Polish officials suggesting that Hunka should be extradited to face justice in a court of law.

In October, Hunka was charged in absentia with genocide of civilians during World War II by the Russian Investigative Committee. He is accused of participating in large-scale executions of at least 500 civilians in the Lvov region of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1943-1944.