The Austrian Defense Ministry said it is sending old military helmets along with bulletproof vests, fuel and other supplies to Ukraine. The news prompted the far-right Freedom Party (FPOe) to make the unsubstantiated claim that Austrian soldiers would be left without helmets.
“The fact that the government is coming and sending the personal protective equipment of thousands of Austrian soldiers to Ukraine is a declaration of bankruptcy for Austria’s defense and neutrality policy, which paints a picture of misery,” Herbert Kickl, the leader of the Freedom Party, was quoted as saying in the Austrian newspaper Heute on March 3.
