Austria criticised for allowing 18 Russian MPs to attend security meeting

Ukraine to boycott OSCE gathering in Vienna, as reports say Russians have also been invited to a nationalist ball

• Russia-Ukraine war – latest news updates

Eighteen Russian MPs are expected to attend a meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Vienna on Friday, the first anniversary of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, and have been invited to a nationalist ball.

Ukraine has already said it will boycott the winter session of the OSCE’s parliamentary assembly at the organisation’s headquarters on 23 and 24 February, saying Russia would use the event to “justify its aggression” and “whitewash war crimes”.