Kremlin says Canada parliament should condemn Nazism: ‘You have a duty’

Canadian lawmakers applauded the 98-year-old Ukrainian veteran Yaroslav Hunka who fought for the Nazis during World War II.

The Kremlin said that a Ukrainian Nazi veteran who was honoured in the Canadian parliament last week should be brought to justice. Following the incident which saw Canadian lawmakers applaud the 98-year-old Ukrainian veteran Yaroslav Hunka who fought for the Nazis during World War II, the speaker of country's parliament resigned.

Nazi veteran Yaroslav Hunka, right, waits for the arrival of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the House of Commons in Ottawa.

"Canadian authorities have a duty to bring to justice -- or to extradite to those who wish to bring to justice -- this criminal," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. While Poland said that it was looking at extraditing the veteran, and investigating Yaroslav Hunk.

Russia has accused Ukraine of harbouring Nazi elements, despite Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky being Jewish and losing family members in the Holocaust.

"It is unequivocal that we are talking about a Nazi," Dmitry Peskov said.

Zelensky spoke to Canada's parliament last week expressing thanks for Ottawa's backing since Moscow launched full-scale invasion against Ukraine last year.