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Anti-Putin rainbow parade embraces Vienna

An eclectic group of protesters - transgender, gay and straight - took advantage of Russian President, Vladimir Putin's brief visit to Vienna on Tuesday afternoon to demonstrate against Russia's harsh anti-gay propaganda laws.

Published: 25 June 2014 11:55 CEST

Anti-Putin rainbow parade embraces Vienna

Photo: Kim Traill

These laws – introduced in June last year – state that it is illegal to discuss or 'propagandise' homosexuality around minors, and have led to a surge in homophobic violence and numbers of youth suicides.

See our PICTURE GALLERY for images from the protest march.

In addition to the anti-Putin protest, there was a march by a small group of Putin supporters, with Russian flags as well as a flag bearing the orange and black colours of St. George, which are widely associated with Russia's victory over fascism in World War II.

For more on the dire consequences of Russia's so-called anti-gay propaganda law, this report was shot last year in Moscow by The Local reporter and freelance documentary maker, Kim Traill.

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Austria's Raiffeisen Bank replaces 'misleading' Russia job ads

The bank has vowed to reduce its business in Russia following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 but has so far not sold or spun off its Russian unit.

The Financial Times on Tuesday said it had found dozens of postings for Russia-based jobs, touting its growth plans in the country.

One of the job postings said the bank was “looking for a client manager who will attract clients,” the paper reported.

“The quotes from the job advertisements do not reflect the measures taken by Raiffeisen Bank International to date to reduce its Russian business, nor do they correspond to the further plans for the Russian business,” the bank said in a statement sent to AFP.

It added to be able to sell Raiffeisenbank Russia — the biggest Western bank still in Russia — “job positions that are necessary for functioning banking operations will continue to be filled or refilled”, but they are “not related to business growth”.

“The very few job ads which contained old and misleading wording are/will be replaced.” the bank said.

Raiffeisen Bank International said in its annual report for 2023 that it had made 2.4 billion euros ($.2.6 billion) in net profits. It paid 464 million euros in income tax in Russia.

The group announced in December an agreement with Austrian construction company Strabag, involving Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, who is under Western sanctions.

The deal to try to recover assets frozen in Russia before selling or spinning off Raiffeisenbank Russia has drawn the US authorities’ scrutiny.

A senior US Treasury official — in Austria in March to discuss sanctions against Russia — met Raffeisen Bank International officials in Vienna to discuss the bank’s business in Russia.

Last year, a Czech rights group filed a criminal complaint against the bank’s Czech and Austrian units, claiming the bank is financing terrorism with its activities in Russia.

Raiffeisenbank has been in Russia since 1996 and employs more than 9,000 people there.

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