MOSCOW, February 14. /TASS/. Russia is not surprised by Canada's refusal to extradite Ukrainian Nazi criminal Yaroslav Hunka, who served in the SS Galicia division, Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a news briefing.

"Such a response was expected," he said, commenting on Ottawa's decision.

In December, the Russian embassy handed over to the Canadian Foreign Ministry a request from the Russian Prosecutor General's Office for extraditing the SS man to Moscow. The Canadian Department of Justice refused to comment on the request, citing confidentiality. On February 12, the Canadian Foreign Ministry handed over a note refusing to extradite the criminal, as there was no formal extradition treaty between Moscow and Ottawa.

The Russian Investigative Committee has charged Hunka in absentia with genocide of civilians on the territory of Ukraine during World War II, when he served in the SS Galicia division.

Ukrainian nationalist, 98-year-old Hunka was invited to the Canadian Parliament during Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s visit. The war criminal was introduced to the audience as a fighter for Ukrainian independence and received a standing ovation. After Hunka's affiliation with an organization recognized as criminal by the Nuremberg Tribunal came to light, a scandal erupted, resulting in the resignation of the speaker of the House of Commons, Anthony Rota, who took the blame for inviting the Nazi.