He wasn’t introduced that way, though. He was just introduced as a “Ukrainian war hero and a Canadian war hero [and we thank him for his service]”. That’s why it’s not surprising that everyone gave him an ovation. Who wouldn’t? The issue is that the person introducing him, who didn’t even tell anyone else about his attendance or that he would be recognized, although he got some basic facts right (the guy fought in Ukraine and now lives in Canada), didn’t bother to vet the context of those facts. It’s incredibly sloppy and incredibly embarrassing.

Immediate edit: I have finally seen a video of this and he definitely says “Ukrainian independence against Russia”. Oooooooof.