MOSCOW: Karin Kneissl, a former Austrian foreign minister who gained international attention in 2018 for dancing with Russian President Vladimir Putin at her wedding, has made a notable move to St Petersburg, Russia, where she is set to lead a prominent think tank. This relocation comes with a unique twist, as she brought along her two ponies, which were transported by a Russian military plane from Syria.
Karin Kneissl has assumed the position of head at the Geopolitical Observatory for Russia’s Key Issues (GORKI), a research center situated at St Petersburg State University. The institution, established this year, is entrusted with advancing Russian foreign policy and its global outlook.
In 2018, Ms. Kneissl made international headlines when she invited President Putin to her wedding and was photographed dancing with him during the celebration. However, she left the Austrian government the following year.
The Guardian reported that Ms. Kneissl, a controversial figure in her home country, relocated to France in September 2020 and became a guest columnist for Russia Today, often seen as a propaganda outlet of the Kremlin. She later explained that she felt compelled to leave France and temporarily settled in a Lebanese village.
Controversary Around Former Austrian Minister
On social media, Ms. Kneissl mentioned that living in Lebanon was a temporary solution “to survive” while she commuted to Russia for teaching commitments. She is known for her love of animals and cited the security situation in Syria and sanctions as reasons for using a military transport plane to transport her ponies and personal belongings to Russia.
Last week, her ponies were flown from the Russian airbase at Hmeimim in Syria to Saint Petersburg on a military aircraft, according to reports from the Russian investigative website The Insider.
Speaking to AFP, Kneissl confirmed that “It was impossible for me to drive a truck through Syria under the circumstances of the war.” She expressed her astonishment that her move had become a political issue, citing the challenges posed by sanctions and disrupted shipping services.
In June, Ms. Kneissl unveiled the GORKI Centre, a think tank affiliated with Saint Petersburg University, where she will serve as its leader. The primary objective of the think tank is to play a defining role in shaping Russian policies.
“I co-founded the Gorki Centre and manage it,” stated Ms. Kneissl, as reported by Russia’s state-owned Tass news agency. “Since there is a lot of work there and it requires a lot of attention, I cannot do this in passing. I decided to move to St Petersburg for this work.”
