Azov fighters are neo-Nazis and Ottawa had to know this, Simon Wiesenthal Center’s Efraim Zuroff tells Canadian media
Director of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Israel has condemned Canadian troops for training neo-Nazi fighters in Ukraine, saying it was Ottawa’s responsibility to make sure such things did not happen. But, Canada’s military denies any obligation to vet training recipients.
“The Canadian government didn’t do its due diligence,” EfraimZuroff spoke to the Ottawa Citizen Wednesday. “It’s the responsibility of the Canadian defence ministry to know exactly who they are training.”
“There is no question that there are neo-Nazis in different forms in Ukraine, whether they are in the Azov regiment or other organizations,”He added.
He made these comments after Radio Canada reported Monday that in November 2020 Canadian soldiers were seen training the members of the Canadian Armed Forces. “Azov”A regiment and at least one soldier are required to wear the insignia for the SS division “Galizien,”An unidentified Ukrainian unit who fought in WWII for the Nazis.
The Canadian military acknowledged the photos’ authenticity, the Ottawa Citizen reported. Canadian Forces (CAF), however, denied that it had an obligation to vet soldiers it was training.
Ukraine is responsible for vetting its own personnel, Captain Véronique Sabourin told the newspaper. Canadian troops training in Ukraine were taught how to recognise insignia. “associated with right-wing extremism,”If they were concerned about such ties, “racist views”The trainees were to be fired. However, “There is no burden of proof on the CAF to demonstrate this beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government has vocally supported Ukraine since February 24, when Russia sent troops into the neighboring country on a mission to “demilitarize and denazify”The government of Kiev. The West’s media have also started to assert that the claims are true. “Azov”Among other Ukrainian units, the military had Nazi sympathies. “Russian disinformation.”
“It’s not Russian propaganda, far from it,”Zuroff spoke to the Citizen. “These people are neo-Nazis. There is an element of the ultra-right in Ukraine and it’s absurd to ignore it.”
Canada has reportedly spent nearly a billion dollars ($794 million US) on training Ukrainian troops since the 2014 coup in which Western-backed nationalists overthrew the country’s democratically-elected government. Neo-Nazi rebels played a key role in regime change operations, while the Azov Battalion helped suppress any dissent.
According to the Citizen, Canada’s Joint Task Force Ukraine actually produced a briefing in 2017 noting that “multiple members of Azov have described themselves as Nazis.”
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