Canada's removal of SS monument sparks Russian call for action
Many reports by Russian media or government officials are propaganda components. These reports are part of the informational war waged by the Russian Federation.
9 March 2024 15:58
In its statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry cited information from The Forward, a portal focusing on Jewish matters, which reported the removal of a monument dedicated to the volunteer Ukrainian 14th Waffen SS Grenadier Division from a cemetery in Oakville, near Toronto.
The monument was erected in 1988. It features the division's insignia with a lion and crown, symbols used by the SS-Galizien and SS-Galicia units - reports The Forward.
The removal of the monument was prompted by pressures from the Jewish community in Canada following a controversy last year in the Canadian parliament. 98-year-old Ukrainian-Canadian veteran Jaroslav Hunka was applauded during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's visit. It was later discovered that he had served in the German SS-Galizien unit during World War II.
Following the revelation, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued an apology, and the Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada, Anthony Rota, stepped down.
"The demolition of the SS monument in Canada was the primary move to dismantle the legacy of Ukrainian Nazis in this nation," states the Russian Foreign Ministry in a Telegram-published statement.
Meanwhile, the Russian Foreign Ministry insists that the Canadian government "should not halt at this sole monument."
"The ultimate test of Ottawa's commitment to fully distancing itself from Ukraine's Nazi history will be the removal of other monuments to Nazi collaborators, notably those dedicated to the OUN-UPA," the statement from the ministry headed by Sergey Lavrov notes.
However, no details were provided on the whereabouts of other such monuments in Canada.
Source: The Forward, Russian Foreign Ministry
