Ambassador in Vienna: Russia was not allowed to attend events on the occasion of the liberation of Mauthausen

Austria again did not allow Russia to attend official events dedicated to the liberation of the Nazi concentration camp Mauthausen. Dmitry Lyubinsky, the Russian Ambassador to Vienna, told Izvestia about this in an interview on April 13.

He noted that the organizers of the celebrations, which this year will be held on May 11, have denied the Russian Embassy participation in the commemorative ceremony for the third year in a row.

"The organizers <...> continue their flawed practice of refusing to invite representatives of the embassy and other Russian foreign institutions. But Russia will be adequately represented. The flag of our country will be carried by a delegation of relatives of former prisoners and compatriots living in Austria, headed by Alexey Konopatchenkov, Vice-President of the Mauthausen International Committee," Lyubinsky said.

According to him, on May 10 in Mauthausen, representatives of the Russian Embassy will hold their own commemorative event with the participation of employees of Russian foreign institutions in Vienna and their family members, teachers and students of the school at the embassy named after Hero of the Soviet Union General Dmitry Karbyshev.

"There is no sign of any change in the bellicose rhetoric towards Moscow"

Russian Ambassador to Austria Dmitry Lyubinsky — on attempts to rewrite history, the contribution of the Red Army to the liberation of Vienna and the state of bilateral relations

Lubinsky also noted during the interview that in the mass of historical publications, as well as reports on radio and television in Austria dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Vienna, it is difficult to find an objective assessment of the events of 1945. According to the diplomat, the local media also hush up the role of the Austrians in the overall complex of crimes of the Wehrmacht or SS in the territory of the Soviet Union.