The mayor of the German city of Freiberg, Sven Kruger, was a guest at a gala ball in St. Petersburg and gave a speech there without mentioning the war against Ukraine.
Details: On August 25, the Peter’s Ball was held at the Catherine Palace - a magnificent event in historical scenery. The organizers say on the official pages that it is conceived as “a continuation of the traditions of Peter’s assemblies as a significant part of the Russian cultural code laid down by Peter I” and the traditions of the Dresden Opera Ball.
Hundreds of guests were invited to the event, and Russian President Vladimir Putin prepared a remote address for them, praising the project and declaring it a return “to the best pages of Russian history.”
Among the guests of the ball were foreigners, including the mayor of Freiberg, Sven Kruger. His presence at the event was confirmed by the mayor's office when journalists asked about it, although the trip was not officially announced. The spokeswoman said he was on a private trip to Russia but was introduced at the ball as mayor.
In the speech, Krueger reportedly praised Russia, said that he began learning Russian more than a year ago, and that he was convinced that “hard times will pass” and that in the future Russia and Germany will again find much in common.
Kruger has been the mayor of Freiberg, a city of 40 thousand inhabitants, since 2015. At first he was a member of the SPD, but then became non-party. His appearance in St. Petersburg came as a surprise, although the mayor's various ties to Russia have repeatedly sparked debate in the past.
In particular, it is known that the mayor is friends with the rector of the Mining University in St. Petersburg, Vladimir Litvinenko, who has close ties with Putin. In 2014 he was given an honorary doctorate from the Freiberg Mining Academy.
Kruger is also friends with the organizer of the Petrovsky Ball, the German Hans-Joachim Frey, the long-time director of the Dresden Opera Ball, who is called close to Putin. At the last event in 2021, a special address from Vladimir Putin was broadcast to participants, and in the 2000s, Putin once attended the ball himself.
Frey received contracts in Russia as a cultural manager and consultant, and after the outbreak of a full-scale war, he did not distance himself from the Kremlin and said that he was “on the side of Russia” and “loves this country, culture and tradition.”
Kruger's trip has already caused a stir among local politicians.
The leader of the CDU faction in Freiberg, Steve Ittershagen, said he was “surprised” by Kruger’s action. “If I were him, I wouldn’t do this—the mayor represents our city,” he said.
SPD faction leader Alena Raatz said she knew nothing about Kruger's upcoming trip. “In my opinion, it is very dangerous and not at all useful to get involved in such matters as the mayor of a small city,” she commented.
