As noted in the diplomatic mission, since March 1, 2023, 1,657 US military transport convoys have transited through the territory of the republicVIENNA, April 25.
/tass/. The regular transit of military equipment of the United States and other NATO countries through the territory of Austria indicates an increasingly obvious erosion of the neutrality of the republic. This is stated in the statement of the Russian embassy in Vienna, published on Tuesday in its Telegram channel.
"The creeping erosion of "permanent" neutrality, contrary to the aspirations of the majority of Austrians, is becoming more and more obvious," the diplomatic mission noted. "From the published response of the Austrian Defense Minister [Claudia] Tanner dated April 24, 2023 to a parliamentary inquiry, it follows that from the beginning of last year until March 1 of this year, a total of 1,657 military transport convoys of the US Armed Forces (in addition to other NATO member countries) transited through the territory of the Alpine Republic. At the same time, it is not hidden that "individual transits" (or still a significant part of them?) "they were sent to strengthen NATO contingents in Eastern Europe," the embassy added.
"That is, there is a natural assumption about their purpose as the final addressee to the Kiev regime - the side of the armed conflict," the diplomatic mission stated. The Austrian airspace, according to the report, as indicated by Russian diplomats, is regularly used by American military aircraft for transit flights: in 2022, 1,719 of them were counted, that is, on average, almost 5 every day, while 7 times without obtaining any permits. This year, the frequency of military transits remains.
The embassy stressed that "the figures and concrete cases speak for themselves, no matter how Austrian politicians assure that transit supplies of weapons directly to the parties to armed conflicts are not carried out through its territory."
Earlier, the newspaper Exexpress, citing the Secretary General of the Austrian Freedom Party (APS) Christian Hafenecker, reported that in one year the US army was able to transport a total of 1,657 units of military equipment through Austria. According to the publication, in 2022, the number of military equipment passing through Austria from NATO countries, primarily from the United States, has sharply increased. This, according to Hafenecker, is "another evidence of a violation of Austrian neutrality."
