Canada is now a very dangerous country for Russian citizens, Oleg Stepanov said in an interview in Russian last Friday.
“I would not recommend it for tourism, education or business. »
— A quote from Oleg Stepanov, Russian Ambassador to Canada
Stepanov told state news agency RIA Novosti that Canada continues to sanction people in what it sees as an arbitrary response to the conflict in Ukraine.
He also claimed that Russians in Canada routinely experience racism and lamented what he says are daily protests outside the Russian embassy in Ottawa, as well as their consulates in Montreal and Toronto.
“Russian-Canadian relations are now in a deep freeze. »
— A quote from Oleg Stepanov, Russian Ambassador to Canada
He was targeting Canada’s intent to seize $26 million owned by a company owned by Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, in what would be the first case under a new law allowing Ottawa to seize and trade funds from sanctioned individuals to redirect the victims of misconduct .
Roman Abramovich, who owns shares in steel company Evraz, which is primarily based in western Canada, found himself blacklisted by the Trudeau administration. (file photo)
Photo: Getty Images/Paul Gilham
Ottawa has yet to file its lawsuit in court. Mr. Stepanov said that this idea amounts to an attack on property rights.
However, Mr. Stepanov mentioned that most Canadians treat Russians well. On the other hand, Moscow’s travel advice for Canada only warns of street gangs and a rather harsh climate.
He also claimed that Russia has not been able to open a consulate in Vancouver.
Global Affairs Canada did not respond to a request for comment Monday.
Moscow says it is open to dialogue
Stepanov said Russia is open to dialogue with Canada if it stops repeating US policy, but Ottawa says change will only come if Russia ends its invasion of Ukraine and compensates that country for its losses.
Earlier this year, a Russian resident in Ottawa, Elena Pushkareva, claimed that Mr Stepanov refused consular services because he claimed his participation in a pro-democracy Facebook group posed a security risk.
Last year, Russia invited Canada’s ambassador to Moscow over allegations that the RCMP and Global Affairs Canada had failed to adequately respond to security concerns, such as security footage that suggested someone threw a Molotov cocktail over the embassy fence in Ottawa .
The Trudeau government has accused Russia of wreaking havoc around the world and subpoenaed Mr Stepanov over anti-LGBTQ social media posts.
Last summer, a bicycle painted blue and yellow sat outside the embassy for weeks until a group painted it black on August 16.
The group also painted a large “Z” on the sidewalk and on a lamppost, a sign showing support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. A passer-by posted photos of the group, who appeared to have arrived at the scene in a car with diplomatic plates.
In his interview last week, Stepanov urged the Canadian public to take photos of diplomatic cars.