Putin’s Special Representative for International Cultural Cooperation was able to travel to Vienna and then to Bratislava with a visa in March. The Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced this in response to a request. Mikhail Schwydkoy is not on any EU sanctions list, it was said.
In addition, the legal requirements for a visa were met. Shvydkoi is probably the highest Kremlin envoy to come to Austria since the start of the war in Ukraine. The art historian and former special representative of Vladimir Putin (Russian president, note) met Russians in Vienna on March 11, most of whom asked him for subsidies and support.
Political representatives refused
According to the bureaucrat, political representatives canceled “at the last minute.” He eventually met them in Slovakia, where the government has taken a much more Russia-friendly stance after a change last fall. For example, Putin’s envoy met with Prime Minister Robert Fico and Foreign Minister Juraj Blanár in March.
Diplomatic circles say Russian citizens, like Austrians, would be granted a visa if necessary. However, recently local politicians have rarely traveled to Russia: Gregor Kössler, Political Director of the Austrian Foreign Ministry, traveled to Russia at the end of 2021, and Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) in April 2022.
No visa for Ernst-Dziedzic
Green MP Ewa Ernst-Dziedzic’s attempt to obtain a Russian visa to attend opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s funeral in Moscow failed in February 2024.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
