Russia’s ambassador to Canada says Ottawa is on the vanguard of a social media effort he argues is supposed to demoralize Russian troopers.
In an interview with Russian state media, Oleg Stepanov chided Canada’s international affairs division for often posting unflattering details about the warfare in Ukraine, notably current tweets about Russian males fleeing a army draft.
The ambassador mentioned Russians don’t have any selection however to defend their nation, saying “history separates the wheat from the chaff.”
Relations between Ottawa and Moscow have been strained since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February, and the governments of Georgia and Kazakhstan have reported an uptick in folks transferring from neighbouring Russia.
Earlier this month, Russia summoned Canada’s ambassador, in protest of Ottawa doing the identical to Stepanov 5 occasions this 12 months.
Both nations say they wish to preserve formal, diplomatic relations even when Ottawa has withdrawn from working with Moscow on quite a few information.
This report by The Canadian Press was first printed Dec. 18, 2022.
