Medvedev attacks Austria over Austria’s alleged NATO accession plans: A short analysis

Medvedev spreads threats and false narratives about Austrian neutrality, even calling Austria ‘militaristic.’ Despite these threats, he receives not only criticism but also applause, due to Austria’s distorted and absurd security discourse.

From Dietmar Pichler

Dmitry Medvedev, former president and now deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, is notorious especially since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine for rhetoric that is radical even by Russian standards. Recently he called President Macron the “brainless Gallic rooster”, accused NATO Secretary General Rutte of having “consumed too many Magic Mushrooms”, called for the imprisonment of the “bloody Kiev clown” (President Zelensky), and around the May parade referred to Ukraine and its supporters as “typhus-infested neo-Nazi lice”, just as in Russian propaganda in general anyone who does not submit to Moscow’s policies or refuses to align with them is either dehumanized or labeled a “neo-Nazi”. Of course this harsh judgment does not apply to the many actual far-right radicals who are very fond and supportive of Moscow’s policies and Russian imperialism, whether inside or outside Russia. When Medvedev is not issuing threats of attacks and spreading hatred, he is busy redrawing the maps of Ukraine. Sometimes only a small part of Ukraine remains, or it disappears entirely, as he demonstrated on “Russia Day” in 2024 when he posted a corresponding map that showed no Ukraine, only Russia. Medvedev also made it unmistakably clear that for him the “concept” that Ukraine is not Russia “must disappear” and that Ukraine is Russia. In this he is by no means alone in Russia, propagandists, politicians and members of parliament share these imperialist views, as does the president himself, although in his rhetoric he is at least somewhat more cautious internationally. Nevertheless, despite extensive evidence of these positions and actions, the myth persists, in the peace movement, parts of the academic sphere and especially in neutral Austria that Russia in its war against Ukraine is merely defending “security interests” and that NATO enlargement or Ukraine’s NATO aspirations are the real reason for aggression against the neighboring country.

Speaking of NATO: in his role as politician and blunt propagandist, Medvedev has now also discovered the security debate in Austria and, in his usual manner, commented on alleged NATO accession and breaches of neutrality. In a guest commentary for RT (formerly Russia Today), with the typically Medvedev-style title “NATO’s Anschluss”, he showered Austria with a series of accusations. That is not unusual, since Austria’s foreign minister Meinl-Reisinger, similar to former German foreign minister Baerbock, has increasingly been in the crosshairs of Russian propaganda. Medvedev writes in the RT text:
“Now reason is giving way to herd instinct. Following Finland and Sweden, Austria’s establishment – egged on by bloodthirsty Brussels – is fueling public debate about abandoning its constitutionally enshrined neutrality in favor of NATO membership. Austrian society is far from enthusiastic about the idea. The New Austria liberal party, led by Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger and eager to embrace the bloc, won less than 10% of the vote in the last election.

By contrast, the opposition Freedom Party of Austria, which firmly opposes blindly copying Brussels’ militaristic agenda, received support from 37% of citizens. But in today’s Europe, when has the will of the people truly stood in the way?”
It is interesting that Medvedev here directly mentions the FPÖ, his wording “militaristic agenda of Brussels” seems familiar, since it is also used by actors in the German-speaking world, what a coincidence. Later in the text, Medvedev also mentions former foreign minister Kneissl, who as is well known now lives in Russia.
Medvedev not only threatens “countermeasures” like those against Finland and Sweden, but even says, again in the RT commentary:
“Adding to all this, Austria’s militaristic turn is shattering its peacemaker image, sharply curtailing its sovereign room for maneuver. Instead, it significantly increases the risk that Austria’s Bundesheer units may find themselves included in the Russian Armed Forces’ long-range mission plans. A package of countermeasures was adopted against Sweden and Finland after their NATO accession, and Austria should not expect any exceptions here.”

Medvedev also condemns Austria’s past security policy, the international participation of the Austrian armed forces in the EU’s common security policy, for example in training missions. He even speaks, and this is particularly interesting, of a “militarization” of Austria, absurd to hear that in reference to Austria from a politician of a country that has switched to a war economy and is waging an imperialist war of aggression. Medvedev speaks of a “militaristic faction of Austria’s elites” and of “Austria’s militarist turn”, which, if he were not a representative of a warring dictatorship, would strongly resemble the rhetoric of large parts of the so-called “peace movement”.

The Austrian media have already reported on the case, and in the comment sections one can read countless reactions. Many of them come from anonymous troll profiles that act in a coordinated manner or are even part of Russian state propaganda. Many comments, however, come from real people and relate shockingly positively to Medvedev’s threats and propaganda. “He is right” is a phrase one can read again and again. One female user, who has repeatedly posted pro-Russian comments since 2014, said “Medvedev is rightly threatening us Austrians.” Another user writes that he is against NATO accession for the simple reason that for him NATO represents a greater danger than Russia. A woman complains that Austrian media are allegedly misrepresenting Medvedev’s statements and posts a translation from the press office of the Russian embassy in Vienna.

These are by no means isolated cases and reflect a discourse in Austria that demonizes NATO, of which the overwhelming majority of Austria’s European partners are members, and does not allow a realistic, fact-based discussion, regardless of a hypothetical Austrian accession to the security bloc. It seems that many in Austria, even in 2025, are actually more afraid of NATO (why, actually?) or of NATO membership than of Russia. This discourse of “rationalizing” the Russian war of aggression as “defense against NATO” is present in Austria not only on the far right but also on the far left and partly in the academic milieu, and therefore sometimes in the media as well. Conversely, from these actors, Russian imperialism and the inhumane, strategically extensive and comprehensive propaganda, both internally and externally, receive little or no attention.