“Russian flags are present in the decoration of the territory of the former Nazi concentration camp, the wreaths laid the day before by Russian missions take their rightful place,” Russian Ambassador to Austria Dmitry Lyubinsky said in a statement.
He noted that he laid wreaths at the embassies of Armenia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, China, Israel and Hungary at the Soviet monument in Mauthausen.
Earlier, Lyubinsky announced the withdrawal of the invitation of Russian diplomats to the event on May 20 on the occasion of the next anniversary of the liberation of the Mauthausen concentration camp in Austria.
The reason for the withdrawal of invitations was called EU sanctions, prescribing a similar procedure for representatives of Russia.
Prior to this, the Austrian Foreign Ministry said that the commemorative events on May 8 did not provide for the participation of Russian diplomats.