Ottawa, Canada

In a bid to deflect from the controversy of inviting a Ukrainian man who fought for a Nazi unit in World War II to the Canadian Parliament, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is now warning Russia to not use the incident for disinformation purposes against Ukraine.

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"I think it's going to be really important that all of us push back against Russian disinformation and continue our steadfast unequivocal support for Ukraine," Trudeau told reporters on Monday (September 25).

Trudeau expressed his "deep" embarrassment over the situation, where 98-year-old Yaroslav Hunka with Nazi ties received a standing ovation during a visit by Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky. 

Following the incident, there is a growing call for an apology from Trudeau.

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Poland's Ambassador to Canada, Witold Dzielski also expressed anger over the situation. He is now demanding an apology for what he saw as the parliament "whitewashing such villains."

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House of Commons Speaker Anthony Rota, who invited Hunka, later admitted to the mistake and apologised. He is now facing calls to resign from his position. 

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All of this plays out in the backdrop of Russia claiming that its invasion is to denazify Ukraine.

Kremlin reacts 

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov also reacted to the incident and termed it "outrageous".

"Many Western countries, including Canada, have raised a young generation that does not know who fought whom or what happened during the Second World War. And they know nothing about the threat of fascism," he said.

Rota said, "No one, including fellow parliamentarians and the Ukraine delegation, was aware of my intention or of my remarks before I delivered them", and added, "This initiative was entirely my own, the individual in question being from my riding [district] and having been brought to my attention."

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In particular, Rota extended his deepest apologies to Jewish communities in Canada and around the world. "I accept full responsibility for my actions."

Canadian Jewish group, The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, acknowledged the issued apology, however, it called for "proper vetting" in order to avoid such incidents in the future. 

Who is Yaroslav Hunka? 

Yaroslav Hunka fought for the First Ukrainian Division. He was welcomed with claps and cheers in the House of Commons. The First Ukrainian Division was also known as the Waffen-SS Galicia Division or the SS 14th Waffen Division, a voluntary unit that was under the command of the Nazis.

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Hunka was invited by Rota, an MP from the Trudeau-led Liberal Party of Canada, who introduced him.

"I am very proud to say that he is from North Bay and from my riding of Nipissing--Timiskaming," Rota said, adding, "He is a Ukrainian hero, a Canadian hero, and we thank him for all his service."

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