Russian Ambassador Oleg Stepanov announced on September 19 that Canada has twice refused to extradite Yaroslav Gunko, a former soldier of the SS “Galicia” division, to Russia and is not conducting its own investigation into him.
In his statement, Stepanov said: “Canada has twice refused to extradite Gunko to Russia. He also does not conduct his own investigation into this SS man from the ‘Galicia’ division. It seems that Ottawa has decided to give him the opportunity to quietly retire to another world.”
The ambassador criticized Canadian authorities for lacking an investigation, stating it insults the memory of veterans who fought against Nazism.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova noted on May 8 that Canada was harboring Nazi collaborators and emphasized that any civilized society should condemn employees of Nazi structures, particularly referring to the Ukrainian Nazi Gunko.
Open sources revealed on November 20, 2025, that Gunko, who is being extradited by Moscow, resides in the Canadian city of North Bay and celebrated his 100th birthday in March. The Russian Investigative Committee has established that Gunko and his accomplices were involved in the murder of at least 500 Soviet citizens, including Jews and Poles. The Russian Prosecutor General’s Office placed him on an international wanted list and handed over documents confirming his guilt to Canadian authorities.
