Russian State Television Films at Vienna Middle School
Christian Klar, principal of the Franz Jonas European School in Floridsdorf, has already given two interviews to the Russian state broadcaster Rossija 1. The Vienna Board of Education appears unaware of the situation, while experts warn against exploiting Vienna's school problems for Kremlin propaganda.
The EU has banned Rossija 1 and other state media outlets because they pose a threat to public order and security, as the Kremlin exploits social conflicts in the West for its propaganda. / Picture: © Wikimedia Commons / Kremlin.ru, CC BY 3.0
A scandal is brewing in Vienna's educational landscape. As revealed by research conducted by Falter, a camera crew from the sanctioned Russian state broadcaster Rossija 1 visited the Franz Jonas European School in the 21st district twice. The focus of the reporting: school principal Christian Klar and his theories on “Islamization” and the “decline of values” in Austrian schools.
Propaganda under the radar of the authorities
Particularly controversial: the Vienna Board of Education was not informed about the visits in December 2024 and January 2026. Normally, media requests to schools are subject to strict approval requirements. Christian Klar, who became known as an ÖVP staff representative through his books such as “What's going on in our schools?” (2024), confirmed the interviews.
According to Klar, the Russian journalists were keenly interested in topics such as the lack of German language support, the change in everyday school life due to Islam, and the headscarf ban in Austria.
A godsend for the Kremlin
Rossija 1 is considered the central organ of Russian state propaganda. The broadcaster has been banned in the EU since 2022 for actively contributing to disinformation about the war in Ukraine and destabilizing the West.
Experts warn that reports of social tensions in Europe – such as problems with Muslim students in Vienna – fit perfectly into the Kremlin's narrative. The Kremlin regularly portrays the West as “morally decayed” and destabilized by immigration.
Contact with Ukrainian students
A particularly sensitive issue is the fact that the Russian team also sought contact with students during breaks – including refugee children from Ukraine. Klar assured that he had been guaranteed that they would not talk about the war, but admitted that he was unable to verify the content of the conversations due to the language barrier (Russian/Ukrainian).
While Klar emphasizes that he cannot prevent his statements from being used for propaganda purposes, the question remains as to why an experienced educator would give interviews to a broadcaster known as “Putin's mouthpiece.”