Delegates From Russia, Belarus Banned From Attending Mauthausen Camp Liberation Event

MOSCOW, April 25 (Sputnik) - The Mauthausen Committee Austria has refused to allow delegations from Russia and Belarus to participate in the 79th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi-run concentration camp in Mauthausen, the Russian embassy in Austria said on Thursday.
"The Mauthausen Committee Austria (MKO) has (once again) voiced its refusal for the official delegations of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus to participate in traditional events on the occasion of the 79th anniversary of the liberation of the concentration camp," the embassy wrote on Telegram.
The organizers of the official commemorating events also discouraged members of the Russian expat communities in Austria, who represented Russia during the anniversary events in the camp in 2022-2023, from attending this year's celebration, the embassy added.
The Mauthausen Committee Austria has refused to allow delegations from Russia and Belarus to participate in the commemoration of the 79th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi-run concentration camp in Mauthausen, the Russian embassy in Austria said.

The organizers of the official events also discouraged members of Russian expat communities in Austria, who represented Russia during anniversary events at the camp in 2022-2023, from attending this year's celebration, the embassy added.
"Preserving the memory of the innocent victims of the 'brown plague' and thousands of Red Army soldiers who laid down their lives on the altar of liberating Austria from Nazism is the sacred duty of all Russian diplomats. There can be no doubt that we will worthily implement our own 'memory watch' in Mauthausen this time as well, with the help of Russian compatriot organizations and all concerned individuals, and properly mark the 79th anniversary of the liberation of the former concentration camp. No one is forgotten, nothing is forgotten," the embassy said.
It further slammed the Austrian organization's decision as "political games" abusing the memory of the victims of Nazism, rejecting the move as "categorically unacceptable."
Russian diplomats described the MKO's "mock readiness" to welcome former inmates of the camp, their relatives or organizations of victims from Russia at the event as "the pinnacle of cynicism."