Contents tagged with Austria

  • Austria threatens to take away Gazprom's underground gas storage facility

    Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer said Russia's Gazprom, which owns one of the largest gas storage facilities in Central Europe located in the town of Haidach near Salzburg, must fill it with gas or the facility will be transferred to other companies.

    According to Nehammer , Austria has developed a step-by-step plan to eliminate dependence on Russian natural gas and measures are being taken to find alternative fuel suppliers. In addition, the national strategic gas reserve has been created in …

  • Austria expels Russian diplomat for espionage

    Austria is expelling a Russian diplomat, reported TASS citing Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. According to the Ministry, the Russian's actions are contrary to the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

    According to Kronen Zeitung, the diplomat is suspected of industrial espionage and must leave Austria by September 1. This is the first time a Russian Foreign Ministry employee has been expelled from Austria.

    According to the sources of the newspaper, the Russian diplomat is suspected …

  • Austrian Foreign Minister: sanctions against Russia will remain despite coronavirus

    The Austrian Federal Minister for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs of Austria Alexander Schallenberg believes that Russia will not be able to achieve the removal of sanctions amid the coronavirus pandemic, reports the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

    "Russia's attempts to lift sanctions due to coronavirus are futile," Schallenberg said during a telephone conversation with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmutro Kuleba.

    The ministres noted the unity of positions on the need to preserve …

  • Austrian government moves towards easing sanctions on Russia

    The work program for the development of Austria between 2020 and 2024 indicates that the Austrian government intends to continue its course towards easing the sanctions on Russia.

    The program was presented by Austrian People’s Party leader Sebastian Kurz and Werner Kogler, leader of the “Greens”.

    “With progress in the implementation of the Minsk Agreements, we need to consider gradually lifting the sanctions,” the program states. The document notes that Vienna adheres to the sanctions, in …

  • Austria allocates 1 million euros for Donbas

    The Austrian Federal Government has allocated 1 million euros of humanitarian aid to Ukraine for the Donbas, reports the press service of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry on its Twitter.

    It is noted that the funds are intended for the daily support of residents of Eastern Ukraine and mine clearance in the region.

    "We thank the Austrian government for the new tranche of humanitarian aid of 1 million euros for daily support of residents of Eastern Ukraine and mine clearance in the Donbas," reads …

  • Austrian company deactivates Gazprom’s compressors via satellite

    The Russian gas monopoly Gazprom has had its Austrian compressors remotely shut down, Pavel Krylov, head of department N335, told the Interfax news agency.

    According to him, the equipment from the Swiss company LMF was “deactivated via satellite”. Now the compressors are “dead weight, they still aren’t working, they’ve simply turned into scrap metal,” Krylov lamented.

    The manufacturer itself is capable of remotely deactivating compressors and similar equipment, a source close to Gazprom told …

  • Germany concerned that Austria may leak secrets to Russia

    Thomas Haldenwang, head of Germany’s counterintelligence agency, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), said this week at the Parliamentary Oversight Panel that cooperation with Austria creates significant risks to German intelligence, Welt am Sonntag reported.

    The newspaper did not specify how it had obtained the information, but it noted that Haldenwang’s statement was based on the assumption that Austria could misuse and possible even pass on to Russia the …

  • Austrian government coalition collapses due to scandalous video of Vice-Chancellor with Russian oligarch’s niece

    On Friday evening, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz announced the collapse of the government coalition.

    The collapse resulted from the publication of a scandalous video showing Heinz-Christian Strache, Austrian Vice-Chancellor and Chairman of the ultra-right Freedom Party, meeting with an unknown Russian lady and offering her government contracts in exchange for political support.

    Strache resigned from his position shortly after the video was published. In the clip, he appears to be …

  • Hungary hopes to start importing gas from Azerbaijan in 2021

    The press service of the Hungarian government, following the meeting of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary, Péter Szijjártó, and his Azerbaijani counterpart, Parviz Shahbazov, in Baku, announced that Hungary expects to start importing natural gas from Azerbaijan in 2021, writes Deutsche Welle.

    As the Hungarian minister noted, the diversification of gas supply routes is extremely important for Hungary.

    Szijjártó drew attention to the fact that "the conflict between Russia and …

  • Ukraine offers third of its gas storage to European Union

    According to the statement published on the Ukrtransgaz website, Ukraine is ready to lease at least a third of its gas storages to EU countries.

     “This should ensure uninterrupted gas supply to the consumers of Russian gas from Hungary and other European countries next winter “even if Russia stops gas transit through the territory of Ukraine to the EU countries after January 1, 2020,” stated the operator of the gas transportation system of Ukraine.

    According to Ukrtransgaz, they can now offer …