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A 93-year-old Quebec beekeeper accused of being a Nazi war criminal has become the latest salvo in an increasingly hostile war of words between the Canadian and Russian governments.

The two countries have been slinging insults and accusations at each other on Twitter and other social media since Russia annexed Crimea and began providing military support to separatist forces in Ukraine last year.

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References to the Nazis have figured prominently in that battle since Prime Minister Stephen Harper became the first leader to liken Russia’s annexation of Crimea last year with Hitler’s move to grab parts of the current Czech Republic in the lead-up to the Second World War.

Russia in turn has claimed that neo-Nazis and other right-wing extremists dominate Ukraine’s political scene as it has sought to undermine international support for Ukraine’s new government. As a result, it has insinuated that Canada is turning a blind eye to fascism in Ukraine — and now at home.