Russia-Ukraine Conflict: Austria Dispatches Crisis Team
The Kremlin apparently wants to justify further aggression with provocations in eastern Ukraine. Due to the escalating situation in eastern Ukraine, Austria has sent a crisis team to Ukraine. In addition to specialists from the Cobra task force, the team also includes experts from the foreign and defense ministries.
Austrian Counter-Terrorism unit Cobra during an operation with a helicopter. / Picture: © Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 23.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]
As reported by Vindobona, according to media reports, the U.S. and U.K. governments have intelligence that Putin has ordered his military on the border with Ukraine to proceed with invasion plans. That intelligence last week reportedly prompted U.S. President Joe Biden to say Friday that Russia's President Vladimir Putin had made the decision to attack.
Therefore, Austria has sent a crisis team to Ukraine to take precautions and protect Austrians.
The team is composed of seven experienced staff members of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Interior (specialists of Task Force Cobra) and Ministry of Defense and is already in Kiev.
The main task of the team is to support the staff of the Austrian Embassy in crisis management.
The focus is on logistics and ensuring communication channels as well as improving the overall picture of the situation.
In addition, Austrians abroad as well as Austrian travelers are to be assisted in leaving Ukraine.
Chancellor Karl Nehammer: "We are taking all precautions to protect Austrians and to enable them to leave the country safely. The deployment of this crisis team is a measure to help all compatriots who want to leave Ukraine to do so. The situation is serious, the situation can escalate further at any time. I renew my appeal to the Russian Government to use all its means to stop the spiral of violence and end the fighting." …
or Log In