(Ottawa) Russia’s ambassador to Canada accuses Ottawa of waging a social media campaign aimed at demoralizing its soldiers fighting in Ukraine.
In an interview with the Russian state media, Oleg Stepanov denounced the fact that the Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs frequently publishes negative messages in connection with the war in Ukraine. He particularly lambasted a recent series of publications about Russian men fleeing military service.
Meanwhile, the governments of Georgia and Kazakhstan, which are neighbors of Russia, have reported an increase in new arrivals to their countries.
The ambassador argued that the Russians have no choice but to protect their country, saying that “history will separate the wheat from the chaff”.
Relations between Ottawa and Moscow have been strained since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine last February.
Earlier this month, Moscow summoned Canada’s ambassador to Russia, in response to the fact that Canada has summoned Mr. Stepanov five times this year.
The two countries say they want to maintain certain diplomatic relations, but Ottawa has decided to no longer work with Moscow on many issues.