His use as an election observer at the sham referendums has triggered heavy criticism. Stefan Schaller has now been released as managing director of the North Hessian utility Energie Waldeck-Frankenberg. Further steps are to be initiated promptly.
Because he accompanied the mock referendums in Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine as an election observer, the managing director of the North Hessian utility Energie Waldeck-Frankenberg (EWF) has been released. The district of Waldeck-Frankenberg has now announced that Stefan Schaller has been relieved of his duties with immediate effect. The supervisory boards of the company and the Verbands-Energie-Werk Gesellschaft für Renewable Energies as well as the EWF association board made the decision unanimously in a special meeting.
"The behavior of the managing director clearly violates the world view, the moral values and the philosophy of the company, which firmly rejects violations of international law and any form of violence," emphasized the chairman of the supervisory board of the district's own energy company, District Administrator Jürgen van der Horst.
The district explained that the supervisory boards and management boards had therefore spoken out very clearly in favor of the immediate release of the managing director - and at the same time clearly distanced themselves from Russia's illegal actions in Ukraine. The committees would now promptly discuss the dismissal. This is a formal path that must be followed.
Schaller's use as an election observer at the sham referendums had triggered heavy criticism. The votes in occupied areas in eastern and southern Ukraine, which have been criticized internationally as a breach of international law, on joining Russia began on Friday. These are sham referendums because they are being held without Ukraine's consent, under martial law and not according to democratic principles.
According to media reports, Schaller was invited by Russia to oversee the voting. Schaller had confirmed to the "HNA" ("Hessische/Niedersächsische Allgemeine") that he was an election observer. His stay has nothing to do with his position as managing director of the Waldeck-Frankenberger energy supplier. "It's purely private, I took vacation for it," emphasized Schaller.
Already on Saturday, the Council of Elders and the district committee of the Waldeck-Frankenberg district had voted in favor of Schaller's release with a large majority. The outgoing Ukrainian ambassador to Germany, Andriy Melnyk, had called for the dismissal of the managing director on Twitter.
