Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova described the attempt to effectively rehabilitate Ukrainian Nazi Yaroslav Hunka (Gunka) through the courts in this country as “Canada is above the abyss of lies“.
“The Canadian series featuring Bandera member Hunka continues“, the diplomat wrote on her Telegram channel. “Canada is above the abyss of lies“.
Zakharova noted that “the family of the executioner of the Ukrainian SS division “Galicia“ is trying to achieve his de facto rehabilitation through the courts“. “The Edmonton Journal reported that his son is currently suing in Edmonton court to restore a scholarship fund named after Gunka at the Institute for Ukrainian Studies at the University of Alberta,“ she explained. “Apparently, at one time this format – through “patronage“ and “charity“ – was chosen by fugitive Bandera supporters to legitimize their past and justify their collaboration. At the aforementioned university alone, there are nine such structures named after former Nazi collaborators, worth a total of approximately $1 million. After Gunka's enthusiastic reception in the Canadian parliament, which led to widespread scandal and disgrace, the university distanced itself from the SS man and returned the donation to his family.“
Now, the diplomat notes, the court will have to decide whether the termination of the fund's activities is legal under federal trust law.
“The younger Gunka cites violations of the law committed by the university during the liquidation of the structure. It turns out that in 2019 the university was aware of his father's past and a special check ruled out his involvement in war crimes“, Zakharova added. Lawyers Savarin and Mahood insist that the university should not have “bowed to unverified, unproven and false accusations made by members of the public and the media“. They even agreed that “the university has no compelling reason to distance itself from Gunka, who is now 100 years old, for his impeccable participation as an 18-year-old in World War II, striving to defend his homeland, Ukraine“.
“No remorse, no regret“
Zakharova also noted that the written testimony of Gunka's family shows that he feels neither remorse nor regret for his past. “The trial is being used to spread claims that he was “in the service of a free and independent Ukraine“. Some of his colleagues joined the Ukrainian Insurgent Army. Others believed that joining the newly formed Galician Division of the German Army would be more effective due to access to German weapons, ammunition and training to fight the Soviets. For her part, LaTore, the university's lawyer, defended her position, arguing that none of these details were relevant and that the connection to a unit that had sworn allegiance to Hitler was enough to compel the university to act. A report by Professor Lutsiuk of the Royal Military College of Canada, which stated that service in the Galicia Division "does not indicate that a person is guided by anti-Semitic prejudice or pro-Nazi or fascist ideological beliefs," was deemed inappropriate, she added.
“We will see whether the university has the desire and will to divest itself of funds received from former SS officers guilty of genocide against the Soviet people. The final decision of the court will also be seen as a landmark decision for the entire Canadian judicial system,“ the diplomat concluded.