"Why not ice skating on Red Square?"
Austria's Russia problem is getting bigger, not better, as the war in Ukraine continues.
There was a minor local Austria Twitter-scandal yesterday, when it emerged that Austria’s chamber of commerce had planned a “social event” for Austrians doing business in Russia, a day of cross country skiing and socialising in a Moscow suburb for January 27 (they since took the invite down from their website). The backlash was swift against the WKO, which charges membership fees to businesses in Austria (The WKO is one of many state-sponsored organizations which exist in Austria to meddle in the private sector which could probably be done away with entirely — a bloated cost center that exists because no one dares question its existence. Well, and for backdoor deals, single point of contact entities like this are useful. Just ask the Russians.)
By late morning, a pretty damning newspaper article emerged, which included an eye-opening quote from Raiffeisen (one of Austria’s largest banks and active in Russia for decades), that it still hadn’t decided if it would pull out of Russia or not. As one does, nearly one year into a horrific war that has involved a huge number of war crimes against a civilian population. All a day’s drive from Austria.
Austrian business basically keeps its head down and keeps on making money in Putin’s Russia, assuming no one gives a shit anyway and there is nothing to see here. By evening, ORF (state TV and media) had even published a research piece citing two-thirds of Austrian companies which were present in Russia when the war began decided to keep doing business in Russia. Only three closed their operations immediately. Others were reportedly “considering their options”.
Austria has long had a Russia problem dating back to the Soviet times. Just yesterday, Falter published this blurb on the “spy house” in the 22nd district of Vienna. Yet this makes no headlines, not really. Russian spies and influence is politically accepted in Vienna (and Austria more broadly) god-given, just like stores being closed on Sundays. And it would appear the horrific war in Ukraine has done nothing to change that.
This is the part that really surprises me. Ten months of war a day’s drive from Austria’s capital. No change. If anything, it’s getting worse. Austria is the lone voice in the EU, aside from Orban’s naughty Hungary, which makes remotely pro-Russia statements along the lines of they will need a seat at the table, etc etc. No, war criminals do not deserve a seat at the table. One also does not do business with them either. Obviously. And anyone still operating inside Putin’s Russia right now is complicit by default because it is a dictatorship and by staying you are morally saying you are ok with everything happening in Ukraine right now.
And it’s not just Austrian business that has a problem. Austria’s foreign minister was in hot water this week for comments saying Russia has to play a role in future European security. Russia is the reason we have a crisis right now in Europe. Russia is the problem. And yes, certainly one day there will be a Russia without Putin and Europe will have to learn to build a new relationship with that country, but at the moment all of Europe faces the same threat Ukraine is battling right now, namely an aggressive dictatorship which thinks it can invade its neighbours and bomb civilians into submission. So I ask myself, why the comments? Why do important voices in Austria still play lip service to Russia, even those who have no obvious reason for brown envelopes? Habit? Lack of moral fiber? Acting like Ukraine’s problem is its alone? What drives this? And I don’t have a good answer to that question. I see it more like the school system here — so stagnant, so stale, so incapable of self-reform, that the same messages of twenty, thirty years get repeated because those in power lack the creativity to develop new messages. Best case scenario.
There are certainly more sinister actors at play. Just look at Wirecard. Look at the spy scandals within the BVT (and not only). Austria’s Russia problem, not limited to commercial interests alone, is an open secret. I wrote this nearly a year ago. Feels like a lifetime.
In Tirol it emerged that an ÖVP functionary facilitated the transfer of two teens, Ukrainian citizens, to Moscow recently. Yes, you read that correctly. Local media are thankfully reporting on the unbelievable incident, but unfortunately asking the question, perhaps the local official was just naive? Um, no. Putting unaccompanied minors on an airplane to Moscow who fled a war in Ukraine is not an act of nativity. It is an act of complicity.
The Ukrainian ambassador to Austria is incensed. As he should be. Via Google translate, from the Profil article:
“Of course, the Ukrainian ambassador sees things differently. Vasyl Khymynets does not believe in the official's naivety: “He is a lawyer. He must have known what he was doing and in whose interests he was acting.” Most likely, according to Khymynets, the official acted in the interests of Russia – knowing full well that he was not acting legally, as the notarized powers of attorney held by the embassy are not final within the meaning of the Hague Convention. The Ukrainian ambassador doubts that the mothers of the two teenagers voluntarily signed the power of attorney. After all, they had agreed that the two travel abroad. In addition, there would have been legal ways to bring the families together.”
There are more subtle decisions, actions, indicators of where public opinion and official Austria lie at the moment. Netrebko is back on stage at the Vienna Staatsoper. Austrians talk about continuing commercial relations with Russia “when the war is over” like it’s just a blip in the screen, and soon we can go back to normal. But there will never be a return to normal. Merkel & Putin’s pre-covid world is never coming back. The far right is embracing all of this desire for turning the clock back to the “good old days”. Kickl hung up posters around Vienna recently (I’m sure they are everywhere) with slogans like “close the borders” and make Austria water-tight. He is posing in a camo-coloured jumper with an Austrian flag. I can’t see the posters without feeling like it’s 1937 and people just don’t realise it yet. Take a look for yourselves and tell me this doesn’t send a chill up your spine. There are elections soon in Lower Austria, the rich state which surrounds Vienna. An estimated 65% of the population is expected to vote for right and far right candidates. So unfortunately calling an election is not going to fix the problem of Austro-fascism-light. I don’t know what else to call it. Those sitting firmly in power will make the deal with any far right devil (and they have in the past) to stay in power.
In short — the future of Europe is in the hands of the Baltics, Scandinavia, Poland, even Romania and Bulgaria have been quietly helping supply Ukraine — while France and Germany have stalled, struggling to abandon the notion that you can and should negotiate with Putin. But Germany is light years ahead of Austria. Other than Orban’s Hungary, the EU’s longtime problem child (only getting worse since the war started), Austria is a problem. A real problem. But since it is so small, and generally has an image which is better than it deserves, it goes undetected. For now.
The old habit of hosting both east and west is proving a challenging one to overcomes when there is such a clear cut case of right vs wrong playing out with hugely deadly consequences just a stone’s throw from Austria. It is ironic that Austria feels itself so indifferent, yet is geographically so close to Ukraine. Surely it does not really believe its false “neutrality” will protect it in the event of a Russian victory in Ukraine? I always said Austria would fall to Russia without a single shot being fired, and that feels unfortunately even more true today. Even more of a reason why Ukraine must win. Ukraine must win for the future of Europe as we know it. It is really that simple.
There are some voices in Austria really standing up in defense of Ukraine and what is wrong and right, and calling Russia out on its war crimes, but they are in the minority. This, for example, powerful video from Neos MP and foreign policy speaker, Helmut Brandstätter. He also travelled recently to Ukraine, saw the destruction in Kharkiv with his own eyes. And unlike Austria’s chancellor, did not follow it with a trip to Moscow directly after.
In this context, Germany’s hesitation (currently in focus due to the Leopard tanks which it still hasn’t delivered to Ukraine) is so incredibly frustrating. This delay in getting Ukraine the weapons it needs on the battlefield will surely be one of the main issues historians will one day look back and question. The German world can be hesitant and pedantic and slow and bureaucratic but this feels like something more sinister. This feels like not wanting to be ultimately responsible for your actions, not wanting to have to take a side. And in this war, it is impossible not to take a side. How do you look at the images out of Dnipro and not feel utter rage? It could not be more black and white. Even old Kissinger finally said if Ukraine had been given NATO membership earlier it might have prevented the war. Even the very ancient are throwing their old rule books out the window!
So at the moment, I am feeling a lot of frustrating. I am extremely concerned about the direction Austria is taking in general, on a personal level do not know what if anything I can do about it. I see how the refugee question is pushed to the back burner, out of sight, out of mind. I understand it has been ten months and people are tired of the topic. I understand inflation is biting everyone at the moment. I stare at a pile of 31 empty, pre-addressed envelopes, and don’t know how I will raise €1,550 of grocery store gift cards. It is so hard. I understand.
The Ukrainians are short-tempered, too. Recently they discovered the banks, such as Erste Bank, which let them open accounts for the first year for free, will start charging them fees from March 2023. €70-80 per year doesn’t sound like a lot, but it is when you are trying to get by on a couple hundred Euros per month, per person. The Ukrainians in my Telegram group began arguing with each other. Some said Austria doesn’t owe us anything, we should be grateful for whatever we have received, while others said not is is really not possible to pay fees like a normal EU citizen who earns a normal salary because many of us have small children or are elderly and cannot go to work, and therefore these fees are really painful, and the banks really do not need to be charging them to us. They need these accounts to receive their social payments from the state, making banking not exactly an optional service. I can see both arguments, but my sympathy is with those really, truly struggling.
You do not see them because they are stuck in small villages. In Vienna, they do not take public transport anymore because they have no money for tickets. They are home-bound, stuck in their rooms in shared housing, eating what is “fed” to them, trying to get by on as little as €40 per month pocket money from the Austrian government and whatever pension they get in Ukraine (this can be as little as €75 per month and now Austria wants to deduct it if you are unlucky to get a social worker who asks this question about your other sources of income). I have seen these faces. I see what it looks like when someone hasn’t had fresh fruit or vegetables in a while.
I therefore think the banks should wave the fees — in this small example of how commercial interests could do the right thing, here in Austria — at least for those customers from Ukraine receiving monthly payments from the state. It would be a PR win, you would think. But what I am starting to realise, with horror, I must admit, is that perhaps a lot of Austria does not have sympathy for Ukraine, would be happy to make peace with Russia today, thinks the war has nothing to do with them, nothing to do with Europe, just wants to kick out all the foreigners and turn back the clock and bring snow back to the mountains and…and then they woke up. Or did they?
In the meantime, I have to think about new ways to fundraise, how to reach new audiences. I am still getting messages every day from Ukrainians who arrived here recently and need help, for whom €50 of groceries really does make a difference. And if the grocery photos look “smaller” it is true, they often are. Many are stretching the €50 across several trips, particularly if they do not have access to a fridge or kitchen. To help address my queue of 31, please write me for my mailing address or donate here. Thank you.