According to a report by the news portal “Zeit Online”, the mayor of the Saxon city of Freiberg gave a speech at a ball in St. Petersburg and spoke out in favor of “good cooperation” between Germany and Russia. The non-party Sven Krüger has confirmed his participation in the Petrovsky Ball, Zeit Online reported on Tuesday. There he found a lot of praise for Russia, without mentioning the war of aggression against Ukraine.

Saxon mayor travels to St. Petersburg for ball

According to Zeit Online, Krüger said at the ball, among other things, that he was an optimist and that’s why he started learning Russian a year ago. And he is convinced that Russia and Germany “will find togetherness again in the future and overcome difficult times”.

When asked by Zeit Online, Krüger stated that he had been at the ball at the invitation of organizer Hans-Joachim Frey. Frey has long had close ties to Russia and Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin, Zeit Online continued. In the spring of this year, Putin awarded Frey a medal, Frey said on this occasion: “I would like to say: I am on the side of Russia.”