Maria Zakharova: We consider Canada an extremely unfriendly state whose authorities have stained themselves by colluding with Nazism and betraying their own history, and we will shape our policy accordingly.

This is the apotheosis of the Canadian Government’s immoral behaviour. That doesn’t mean that it hasn’t been or won’t be worse but it is the most telling example of what we have been talking about for many years.

The homage paid in the Canadian Parliament on September 22 to 98-year-old Bandera follower Yaroslav Gunko (Hunka), who volunteered to serve in the Waffen-SS Galicia Division, accompanied by a standing ovation from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the Speaker and members of the House of Commons, and Western diplomats who were invited to attend, including, characteristically, the German ambassador, continues to cause anger and condemnation even among Canada’s closest allies. This was the last thing that Canada’s ruling Liberals expected. I see that they were taken unawares by what has happened.

As for Justin Trudeau, he is trying to justify himself by saying that he knew nothing about the initiative of the Speaker, who immediately repented for the incident. He is not the Speaker any longer. The Prime Minister’s team rushed to remove the compromising videos from the internet. Funny people they are.

It is simply not credible that the head of government and his right-hand official Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, the grand-daughter of Bandera follower Mikhailo Khomyak, were in the dark. Does this mean they did not know who they were applauding? How then do they manage to govern the country?

Most importantly, not only did they know, but they are ideologically committed to this campaign to support the Banderites, the OUN-UPA [the Organisation of Ukrainian Nationalists and the Ukrainian Insurgent Army] and Waffen-SS Galicia Division – both members of these criminal structures and their followers. They are acting as sponsors of all these structures in Ukraine in their contemporary format, sending financial aid, and providing informational and political support. Now it turns out that they “didn’t know”. How convenient. They knew what they were doing and they have been doing it for many years. Only this time they went too far with the Russophobia, having insulted not only us, something they regularly do, but also the victims of the Holocaust and the anti-Polish mass terror. I wonder, though, why does it not appear to be insulting to the memory of the Holocaust victims when tribute is paid in Ukraine to the members of the Waffen-SS Galicia Division or Banderites? Or is it the question of geography? If torchlight processions take place in Ukraine, with people carrying portraits of Stepan Bandera and Roman Shukhevich, and OUN-UPA members are called heroes and are paid benefits, it fits in with Western logic. However, if the same things take place, say, in Canada with the direct involvement of the country’s leaders, it is “not very good.” What is the criterion? What is the standard?

Justin Trudeau and his team are trying to shift responsibility to someone else, saying that the incident is the result of Russian propaganda and misinformation. Was it Russians who invited Yaroslav Gunko and prepared background materials for Justin Trudeau so he can decide whether he should take part in this Nazi bacchanalia? Is it Russian newspapers that have been glorifying Vladimir Zelensky in Canada for many years, commending Canada for its policy towards the Kiev regime?

What does Justin Trudeau allow himself to do? What is he all about really? It all is so awkward and ridiculous that some journalists in Canada, who definitely are not Russophiles, are calling on Canadians to face the reality and give an honest assessment of what the current Canadian government is doing.

The internet is shamelessly extolling Yaroslav Gunko as a Ukrainian Canadian hero and a World War II veteran who fought for Ukraine’s independence from the Russians (this is what many media outlets say) and continues to inspire the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Let us rely on well-known facts showing how Canada gave refuge and looked after the executioners and members of punitive squads from the SS Galicia Division. There are more than enough available facts, including because we have also made them public.

The Russian Foreign Ministry and the Russian Embassy in Ottawa have repeatedly discussed the crimes of this Nazi formation and the history of its “relocation” to Canada following the defeat of the Third Reich, and the role of the descendants of Stepan Bandera’s followers whom the Anglo-Saxons, including those in Canada, gave refuge to, cared for, nourished and retrained. These materials discuss the assertion of the ultra-nationalist regime in Kiev.

The 14th Waffen SS Galicia Volunteer Division was established in 1943 and consisted of Ukrainian ultra-nationalists from the OUN-UPA who exterminated the civilian population. This was their objective. Instead of merely fighting, they exterminated Russians, Belarusians, Ukrainians, Poles and Jews. The formation directly engaged the advancing Red Army in the summer of 1944, when the Nazis found themselves in dire straits.

For example, the Galicia Division fought Red Army units near Brody, where most of its soldiers were encircled. In all, 60 percent of its personnel were killed or wounded in action. The division’s surviving elements retreated together with the Wehrmacht and later took part in crushing the Warsaw and Slovak uprisings. In January 1945, they fought the partisans in Yugoslavia. In effect, the combat history of this formation, whose members are getting their own monuments and are being applauded in Canada, proved to be very short and ignominious. But one area where the formation really achieved success is with committing atrocities and executing civilians, as proved by many historical records.

Today, Canada is at the forefront of those in the West who are actively falsifying the history of World War II. In August 2022, the Russian Foreign Ministry published a report Regarding the Situation with the Glorification of Nazism and the Spread of Neo-Nazism and Other Practices That Contribute to Fuelling Contemporary Forms of Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance. A large section of this report deals with the glorification of Nazi criminals in Canada. I suggest that you read it. I can make the same recommendation to Justin Trudeau, who is accusing Russia of spreading disinformation on this issue and claiming that what has happened to him is the result of Russian propaganda. The report was posted on the Foreign Ministry website a year ago. Let Chrystia Freeland print it out for him. He will find a lot of interesting facts there, become more educated, and he will understand the gist of the current accusations against the Canadian government. Although I am sure he understands it already, even if he pretends not to.

Russophobia has reached a clinical phase where even formations of the SS can be called allies in the fight against Russia. Moreover, Canada is financing and training ideological heirs of the Galicia Division within the Ukrainian Armed Forces. This is a fact that no one is even trying to hide. Canadian parliamentarians warmly applauded a war criminal who swore allegiance to Hitler and fought against Russians. In the House of Commons, not a single elected anti-fascist representative left the room in protest over the betrayal of their own history and the memory of tens of thousands of Canadians who died in the war against German Nazism. These parliamentarians were aware of the agenda of the event in advance.

The conclusion is clear: Russophobia and liberal fascism now go hand in hand and have been elevated to the status of the state ideology in Canada. This celebrating of a Nazi, later denied by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as “Russian propaganda,” is a case in point. The collective West takes a standard approach: if you are not sure who to accuse of what, blame Russia, and everything will be fine. It’s no longer funny. It’s a tragedy for the modern Western community and everyone who pledges allegiance to it.

It is highly symptomatic that Russophobia is passed down through Canada’s ruling elite. The aforementioned Chrystia Freeland celebrates (not that she’s ashamed or trying to distance herself from it) the memory of her heroic roots. Who was her grandfather? During the German occupation of Poland, Mikhailo Khomyak (this fact was covered multiple times) published the Krakowski Wiesci newspaper in Krakow and later in Vienna. What is that newspaper? It didn’t just serve the Nazi occupiers. It was taken from the Polish-Jewish publisher Mojzesz Kanfer. What happened to Kanfer after they had taken his newspaper? Correct, he and his entire family were killed in the Belzec extermination camp. The newspaper was then taken over by the Nazi special services and used as a propaganda mouthpiece for the Reich. This is what Chrystia Freeland’s grandfather was doing, and she now serves as Deputy Prime Minister of the Canadian government. Do you still believe they didn’t know who they were inviting to the Canadian parliament? Do you believe it was a blunder on the part of the speaker of the Canadian parliament? No, it’s a deliberate and long-standing policy of the Canadian establishment.

I wonder if anyone in Canada, grandchildren or great-grandchildren of those who fought against the Nazi killing machine, will say anything now. Will someone say something, write an article, or speak in the Canadian parliament? I watched this morning the Canadian parliament rushing to justify itself and develop some kind of legislative response and adopt some kind of statements.

Do they really think they can cover up years of political and financial sponsorship of Hitler’s collaborationism with a piece of paper? No, this must be a deep and systemic effort. The bully pulpit must go from collaborators and all those who swore allegiance to Nazism to anti-fascists. This means financial and political support for anti-fascist movements in Canada. This means complete repentance for what has been done and rejection of this Nazi ideology that permeates the Canadian establishment.

The reaction of the United States, the United Kingdom, and France is the hardest part of this story to believe. These countries are permanent members of the UN Security Council, who earned their seats because their troops and soldiers fought and died to liberate the world from Nazism. Not a single word, sentence, or even a small comment on social media.

Do you know what the US State Department spokesperson said? He said he wasn’t aware of that and was busy working at the UN General Assembly. Do you believe that? No. Because the General Assembly is taking place on US soil, in New York, where newspapers are published, websites operate, and television broadcasts in English. Moreover, the internet connection is quite good inside the headquarters. Do you believe that the US State Department could have missed that? After all, the issue concerns their closest ally and neighbour, Canada. Do you believe that the Americans could have missed something that was happening right under their noses at a time where they are interfering in the affairs of the countries that lie thousands of kilometres away from the United States and are not tied by allied obligations with them? These countries are not part of the same military-political blocs and want nothing to do with the United States which constantly interferes in their affairs and meddles in their domestic politics, while endlessly condemning human rights violations. What about Canada? It’s right next door. Everything is in English there, you don’t even need a translation. The language doesn’t really matter since the issue is about applauding a Nazi.

No, we haven’t heard and will never hear anything from Downing Street, the White House, or the Élysée Palace about this matter. It’s not about maltreating Russian journalists, right? The issue is about a Nazi in the Canadian Parliament. As you understand, that’s a sacred thing for them.

It is outrageous that the Western community and permanent members of the UN Security Council did not respond in any way to this blatant support for neo-Nazism. The refusal to officially condemn the honouring of an SS Galicia Division veteran by the great powers is a disgrace that exposes them for what they are. This is about betraying the memory of ordinary American, French, and British soldiers who gave their lives in fighting Nazism. It looks particularly cynical against the backdrop of the US administration’s attention to human rights issues and the fight against anti-Semitism. It’s not just about words but only when it’s convenient and necessary. Then they turn the page and forget it. How much has been said about the Holocaust, how much money is spent on events, and even laws are passed to prevent Holocaust denial or persecution at the legislative level. Here is a glaring fact that they “didn’t see,” “didn’t notice,” and don’t comment on.

The very fact of such selectivity in assessments and judgments once again demonstrates the cynical calculation and systematic approach to organising such events in Canada. There is no doubt that more will come and that country (which runs ahead of the United States in these matters) will continue to provide comprehensive support to neo-Nazis in Kiev. It’s time for the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Centre and other keepers of the memory of the victims of World War II (the victims of the Holocaust, as they say) to realise that first, the Nazis came for the Russians, and then they will come for you. Do you think you're immune? No, of course not.

I would like to note that flirting with the Nazis and Ottawa’s systematic hostile actions will not remain without consequences. The response will not be limited to protests and will inevitably affect Russian-Canadian relations, which are in a deep crisis due to Ottawa’s stance.

We consider Canada an extremely unfriendly state whose authorities have stained themselves by colluding with Nazism and betraying their own history, and we will shape our policy accordingly.