Russia issues demarche to Canadian diplomat over 'false accusations'

"On November 8, the Deputy Head of the Canadian diplomatic mission in Moscow was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry, where he was handed an official note in connection with false accusations of allegedly planned 'Russian sabotage' against NATO countries. This includes the mailing, to addressees in Canada, of explosives in postal correspondence," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Ottawa has repeatedly accused Moscow of engaging in "malicious cyber activity" and expressed concerns earlier this week about Russian involvement in sending "camouflaged incendiary devices" aboard cargo planes. The (Canadian) diplomat was informed that these speculations were disseminated at the instigation of the United States and its allies in the context of a hybrid war against Russia. The statement also mentioned the pumping up of the regime in Kyiv with modern weapons, as well as the participation of mercenaries from Canada in military actions on the side of the Kyiv regime with the blessing of the government of Justin Trudeau. This indicates the probable preparation of a gross anti-Russian provocation, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry. Moscow warned that any escalation "under a false flag" would entirely fall on countries, including Canada, making "unacceptable accusations" against Russia. The Canadian side has been told that any hostile actions will not go unanswered, as they have not gone unanswered so far. The Russian Foreign Ministry made it clear that Canadian authorities must exercise prudence and refrain from harmful steps that deepen the confrontation with Russia. Russia-Canada relations have nosedived over the last few years, with Moscow accusing the Justin Trudeau-led government of following a Russophobic course. Last year, Russia issued a demarche to the Deputy Head of the Canadian Diplomatic Mission in Moscow after Canada's move to confiscate the An-124 cargo airliner owned by the Volga-Dnepr company, which had been "illegally held" at a Toronto airport since February 2022. In September 2023, the Canadian Parliament's recognition of a Ukrainian veteran who served in a Nazi military unit during World War II drew massive criticism from several countries, including Russia, which termed Trudeau's standing ovation as "outrageous." The hostile actions of the Canadian government, trying to surpass the United States in its anti-Russia sanctions by constantly extending the Russian stop list with more names of politicians, cultural figures, and their family members-as well as entire educational institutions-will certainly not go without a response. "We will not tolerate the fact that Canadian liberals are playing with Nazism and will take necessary measures in light of the crisis in Russia-Canada relations, which is due to Ottawa's fault," read a Russian Foreign Ministry statement in September 2023 after the Canadian Parliament honored 98-year-old Yaroslav Hunka during Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky's visit to the country.