By Canadian Press

Head of Canadian Ukrainian group defends man who fought for unit created by Nazis

Sep 29, 2023 | 11:07 AM

The president of the Ukrainian National Federation of Canada is defending a Second World War veteran of a Nazi unit who was recently lauded as a hero in Canada’s Parliament.

Jurij Klufas has not met 98-year-old Yaroslav Hunka but says the treatment the veteran is getting is unfair.

He says Hunka was a soldier who understood he was fighting for Ukraine — not Germany — and that countries, including Canada, have cleared his division of war crimes.

Hunka received a standing ovation in the House of Commons on Sept. 22, leading to international criticism after it was revealed he had fought with a mostly volunteer unit created by the Nazis to help fight the Soviet Union.

Ivan Katchanovski, a Ukrainian-Canadian political science professor at the University of Ottawa, says the actions of Hunka’s Waffen-SS Galicia Division have been whitewashed in Canada.

Meaningful Mementos

Remembering Someone You've Lost at Christmas

Dec 03, 2024

Seasonal Sorrow

How Do You Get Through The Holidays When You're Grieving?

Nov 01, 2024

Upcoming Events at Oliver's

Grief & Loss and Estate Planning Seminars

Oct 02, 2024

He says supporters have tried to present the division as a patriotic Ukrainian force despite the fact it collaborated with Nazis and was involved in a variety of atrocities, including the killings of Jews, Ukrainians and Poles.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 29, 2023.

The Canadian Press