May 10, 2015 04:06 PM MDT calgarysun.com
Russia wants Quebec man extradited for Nazi war crimes

MONTREAL -- A 93-year-old Quebec man has been accused of being a Nazi war criminal by Russian officials, who want him extradited to stand trial.

According to a statement on the website for the Russian embassy in Canada, "The Russian Investigative Committee launched a criminal case against Vladimir Katriuk who volunteered to serve in the SS battalion 118 and was personally involved in a genocidal massacre of the (Belorussian) village of Khatyn, organized by this Nazi formation on March 23, 1943."

Katriuk, a beekeeper in Ormstown, Que., 65 km south of Montreal, has been in Canada since 1950.

According to the Journal de Montreal, an unidentified person answered the phone at Katriuk's home.

When asked about the extradition request, the person said "This case has been settled for a long time," adding that the request was about a "settling of accounts" due to strained diplomatic relations between Russia and Canada.

Canadian officials refused to comment on the extradition request.

Katriuk has long faced accusations about his past from Jewish organizations who have requested that he be deported.

In 2007, the Canadian government decided not to revoke his citizenship, citing a lack of proof.

calgarysun.com