VIENNA, December 6. /TASS/. A member of Russia’s delegation to OSCE talks on military security and arms control in Vienna, Yuliya Zhdanova, said that she received an anonymous package "with provocative contents" in early December.
"On December 1, I, an official member of the delegation of the Russian Federation government, received an anonymous package with provocative contents. <…> The goal of the [unknown] perpetrators is clear: to demoralize a government official and hinder the proper execution of official duties during an important period for Russia," the diplomat said at a plenary session of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Forum for Security Cooperation.
The specific contents of the package have not been disclosed. The delegation alerted local law enforcement authorities and sent a relevant note to the Austrian Foreign Ministry.
"We absolutely condemn this provocation as a gross psychological attack committed precisely on the basis of gender. This is a shameful practice for any delegation that may be directly or indirectly involved in the incident," Zhdanova’s statement on the matter said.
According to the diplomat, parties unknown are stooping to "thuggish methods [in dealing] with political opponents, including psychological pressure and physical threats."
The delegation stated that it is counting on the cooperation of the Austrian authorities to ensure that Russian diplomatic representatives are safe from "provocative attempts on their life and health."