Authors
Kushel HM is a mechanical engineer-turned-journalist, who loves all things football, tennis and films. He was with the news desk at the Hindustan Times, Mumbai, before joining Newschecker.
Claim
Russian President Vladimir Putin calls Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau an “idiot” over a recent incident of a Nazi veteran being praised and applauded in Canada’s parliament.
Fact
Putin was criticising former Canada Parliament speaker Anthony Rota over the incident.
Several social media users are sharing a video, claiming that Russian President Vladimir Putin purportedly called Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau an “idiot” over his lack of historical knowledge, during an event.
Last month, a Ukrainian man who fought for a Nazi unit was unwittingly applauded in Canada’s parliament, evoking global condemnation and forcing Trudeau to apologise on behalf of the parliament. The Canadian lawmakers gave a standing ovation to 98-year-old Yaroslav Hunka — a veteran of the ’14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS’ — who was introduced as a war hero after Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky’s address in the House of Commons. Meanwhile, Putin had lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his leadership, referring to him as a “very wise man“.
Putin’s alleged comments come amid the India-Canada diplomatic row over Trudeau’s claim that there was ‘credible evidence’ linking Indian government agents to the murder of a Sikh separatist leader.
The archived version of the tweets can be seen here and here.
Also Read: Animated Video Of Octopus Crushing Car Linked To New York Floods
Fact Check
Newschecker first ran a keyword search for “Putin Trudeau idiot”, which led us to multiple news reports, stating that Putin had called Canada’s former parliament speaker an “idiot” after the legislature celebrated a Ukrainian World War II veteran who had fought alongside the Nazis.
“During a visit to parliament by Zelensky, parliament speaker Anthony Rota hailed an elderly Ukrainian immigrant from his district as a hero, prompting a standing ovation. Rota resigned after it was revealed that the veteran had served in a Nazi-linked military unit,” read an NDTV report, dated October 6, 2023.
“”If the speaker of the Canadian parliament says that during World War II this Canadian-Ukrainian or Ukrainian-Canadian Nazi fought against the Russians, he cannot help but understand that he fought on the side of Hitler…But if he doesn’t know that Hitler and his minions fought against Russia during the war, then he’s an idiot. It means he just didn’t go to school…,” reportedly said the Russian leader at a meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club.
“Russian President Vladimir Putin has, predictably, weighed in on the scandal that has enveloped Parliament and led to the resignation of the House of Commons’ Speaker, Anthony Rota, calling Rota an “idiot” if he didn’t understand that a veteran who fought against Russia during the Second World War, fought on the side of the ‘Nazi forces.’,” read a CBC report, dated October 5, 2023, stating that Putin’s remarks were prompted by a question from a Canadian, Radhika Desai, during his speech at the Valdai Discussion Club, a Russian think-tank.
“Putin responded to Desai’s question by saying that although he hadn’t agreed to take the question, he had been expecting it and proceeded to pull out notes quoting Rota’s introduction of Hunka to Parliament, in which he called Hunka “a hero of Ukraine and a hero of Canada,” read the report.
A similar report can be seen here by Canadian media outlet Global News, dated October 5, 2023, sharing a video where you can see that Putin was ridiculing Rota, indicating that the viral video was clipped misleadingly.
A relevant keyword search led us to the video of the full event in Sochi, live-streamed by Sky News on October 5, 2023, where you can see from the 01:25:48 mark the whole exchange that led to Putin’s comments against Rota, confirming that the viral video was clipped.
Conclusion
Viral video shows Russian President Vladimir Putin ridiculing former Canada parliament Speaker Anthony Rota, not Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as claimed by social media users.
Result: False
Sources
NDTV report, October 6, 2023
CBC report, October 5, 2023
Youtube video, Sky News, October 5, 2023
If you would like us to fact-check a claim, give feedback or lodge a complaint, WhatsApp us at 9999499044 or email us at checkthis@newschecker.in. You can also visit the Contact Us page and fill out the form. Follow our WhatsApp channel for more updates
Authors
Kushel HM is a mechanical engineer-turned-journalist, who loves all things football, tennis and films. He was with the news desk at the Hindustan Times, Mumbai, before joining Newschecker.
