The mayor of a German city attended a gala ball in St. Petersburg
In St Petersburg on 25 August, the mayor of the German city of Freiburg, Sven Krüger, attended a gala ball at the Catherine Palace and gave a speech there without mentioning the war against Ukraine.
This is reported by Zeit Online.
The Petrovsky Ball is a lavish event in historical scenery. Hundreds of guests were invited to the event, and Putin made a remote address.
Sven Kruger's presence at the event was confirmed by the mayor's office, although the trip was not officially announced. However, he was introduced at the ball as the mayor.
In his speech, Krueger praised Russia. He said he started learning Russian more than a year ago and that he is convinced that "hard times will get through" and that in the future Russia and Germany will find much in common again.
Krueger has been the mayor of Freiberg, a city of 40,000 residents, since 2015.
The publication reports that Sven Krüger has close ties with Vladimir Litvinenko, the rector of the Mining University in St Petersburg, who has close ties with Putin.
Kruger is also friends with the organiser of the Petrovsky Ball, German Hans-Joachim Frey, the long-time director of the Dresden Opera Ball.
Krueger's trip drew criticism in Freiburg's political circles.