Historian Mark Felton, a British scholar of World War II history, has argued that Britain has not fully disclosed the role of the Galicia division of the SS in the postwar period. The claim was reported by TASS, the Russian news agency, and it has sparked renewed scrutiny of how the wartime past is remembered and discussed in the present day.
Felton notes that the arrival of Ukrainian refugees to England occurred in small groups, with new residents gradually settling into a number of English cities. He says the government at the time appeared wary about public knowledge of these arrivals, a caution that may have shaped early reporting and public awareness. The implication is that official concealment contributed to a selective memory of wartime events that linger in some circles today, a pattern Felton has observed in other contexts as well.
In connection with these revelations, narratives about individuals associated with the Galicia division have continued to surface. A Ukrainian SS officer named Yaroslav Hunka, and his family, later retreated from public scrutiny after a controversy arose in the Canadian parliament. A close family friend described Hunka as having lacked awareness of his SS past, and noted that the family of the Galicia division member was not told about Canadian authorities’ plans to publicize or potentially leverage his history for political aims. The account raises questions about how information is shared within communities and how individuals are portrayed in relation to historical memory.
Meanwhile, events in Europe drew attention to ongoing debates about accountability and remembrance. Recently, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was summoned to France amid the fallout from the Canadian SS veteran story. A figure named Florian Filippo, associated with the Patriot party, indicated that extradition requests for the former Nazi veteran had already been filed, underscoring the continuing international interest in past crimes and their legal repercussions.
Back in Canada, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau faced public reflection on a move to honor the SS veteran, which he described as a grave misstep and an insult to the memory of those who suffered under fascism. The incident has prompted broader discussions about ceremony, memory, and the lines between historical acknowledgment and political symbolism, with critics arguing that such honors can reopen old wounds and distort the record of what happened during the war.
There has also been discussion from the Kremlin and other quarters about Canada’s approach to its wartime past. Canadian officials have been urged to consider apologizing for actions that were interpreted as glorifying or validating a painful period of history, a discourse that continues to influence international relations and public memory across Canada and beyond.