Austrian police given small gifts after protecting Russian Embassy, told to reject them in future

BERLIN (AP) — Austrian police officers who provided security around the Russian Embassy on the day of that country's presidential election were given small presents as they left, Vienna police said Tuesday. Police were told to reject such gifts in the future.

Receiving the gifts from the Russians — paper bags containing low-value items such as calendars and boxes of chocolates — didn't constitute misconduct under the service law for Austrian civil servants, the Vienna police department said in an email responding to questions about local media's reporting on the issue.

But it “leaves an unwanted impression that does not do justice to the professional approach of the officers at the scene,” the department added. This, it said, was pointed out to officers and they were instructed to “reject in a friendly but firm way such courtesies, even if only of a low value, in the future.”

Russians living abroad stood in line to vote at Russian embassies and consulates in several European cities on March 17, the last day of the highly orchestrated presidential election that gave Vladimir Putin another six-year term.