Russian authorities request extradition of 98-year-old SS veteran Yaroslav Hunka from Canada

The Russian Prosecutor General’s Office has requested that the Canadian authorities extradite 98-year-old SS veteran Yaroslav Hunka, who was invited to Canadian parliament during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit in September, report Kommersant and Interfax.

According to Kommersant, Russian Prosecutor General Igor Krasnov instructed that the request be sent to Canada’s Justice Minister and Attorney General Arif Virani.

The Prosecutor General’s statement says that Hunka has been charged in absentia in Russia with genocide. The document notes that the extradition “is not intended to prosecute the defendant on political grounds because of his race, religion, nationality, or political views.”

The Prosecutor General’s Office added that the accused is not facing the death penalty, will be given the opportunity to defend himself, and will be held in appropriate conditions in the pre-trial detention center. The agency said that the Canadian Embassy in Russia will be able to verify this by visiting him.

In case of refusal, the office asked the Canadian authorities to consider deporting Hunka within the framework of migration legislation.

Canada has not yet commented on Russia’s request.