Russia鈥檚 ambassador to Canada says he fully supports what he calls his country鈥檚 鈥�special military operation鈥� in Ukraine.
鈥淚'm a patriot of my country, and I stand with my president and I stand with the troops on the ground,鈥� Russian ambassador Oleg Stepanov said on CTV鈥檚 Question Period. 鈥淢e and my colleagues here at the embassy, we are 100 per cent confident that we stand on the right side of history.鈥�
In a tense and wide-ranging interview with CTV Question Period host Evan Solomon, Stepanov flatly denied that his country is committing war crimes and targeting civilians in Ukraine, even going so far as asserting that Ukrainian forces themselves are responsible for the atrocities they鈥檝e blamed on Russia.
鈥淸The] Russian army only destroys the military facilities,鈥� Stepanov falsely claimed. Despite images of shattered apartment buildings and hospitals, Stepanov also asserted that Russian efforts to protect civilians 鈥渋s one of the reasons why this operation is [going] very slowly.鈥�
Although Russian diplomats are accused of spreading disinformation and parroting propaganda, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has rejected calls to expel them from Canada, saying that such actions would trigger a similar move from Russia.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 want to be without resources in Moscow,鈥� Trudeau told reporters on April 6.
Speaking on Question Period, Stepanov attempted to paint his country鈥檚 war as an act to protect 鈥渆thnic Russians鈥� and support the independence of the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region.
鈥淚n the international law there are two principles: one principle of sovereignty, and the other one of self-determination,鈥� Stepanov said. 鈥淲e'll let the people of Ukraine to decide what they want.鈥�
Watch CTV Question Period host Evan Solomon鈥檚 full interview with Russian Ambassador Oleg Stepanov at the top of this article.
With files from CTVNews.ca Writer Michael Lee.
