Is the Kremlin upset?

Kneissl Steps Back from the Public Eye

The former politician actively sought attention on social media, frequently disparaging her former homeland in the process. Recently, however, she has not been kind to Russia either.(Bild: Karin Kneissl official)

A few days ago, an interview with former Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl went viral, in which she addressed issues in Russia with unusual candor. Now she’s halting her activities on the messaging app “Telegram.”

For nearly three years, the former Austrian politician has been living in a small house in the Russian village of Petrushovo. At first, she had raved that she’d rather spend her time there than on a beach in the Maldives or the Seychelles. “It’s better here,” she told the Russian news agency “TASS” at the time.

But over time, her enthusiasm turned to disillusionment. The facade began to crumble. Most recently, the 61-year-old complained to a Russian news portal that she still feels like a stranger in her new home. “Unfortunately, many people see me as a walking ATM. I have to deal with that, too,” Kneissl said. She observed how mothers get drunk every day and buy hard liquor at the store instead of cooking meals for their young children. In any case, she concluded, she had no intention of becoming Russian.

The former politician actively sought attention on social media, often disparaging her old homeland in the process. But recently, she hasn’t been so kind to Russia either.(Bild: Karin Kneissl official)

Putin Does Not Forgive Betrayal
These statements were unlikely to have caused Russian President Vladimir Putin to jump for joy. As is well known, the Kremlin leader exacts revenge on his critics with long prison sentences under the most adverse conditions. He also attaches great importance to ensuring that Russia is always portrayed in a positive light to the outside world.

Later, Kneissl complained that “little Austria” apparently would never lose interest in her life. She therefore said she would not write any further details about the four sheep she had now taken in—to avoid making new headlines. Later, she suddenly announced: “For various reasons, I have decided to shut down my Telegram channel tonight.” Her explanations for this are largely contradictory. The former minister writes that she works “nonstop.” Yet in the very same sentence, she adds that she prefers to devote her free time to reading books and taking good care of her small farm. The post concludes with a brief farewell: “With warm regards to those with heart, mind, and backbone, Karin Kneissl.”

In the Service of Russian Propaganda
Kneissl served as Austria’s FPÖ-nominated foreign minister from 2017 until the Ibiza scandal in 2019. Critics see her as entirely in the service of Russian propaganda. Not only did she invite Russian President Vladimir Putin to her wedding in Styria in 2018—complete with a curtsy—but she also met with him in person on several occasions.

“In September 2020, Karin Kneissl was forced to leave her home country due to persistent death threats and a de facto ban on working in Austria,” according to her official website. She first moved to France, then to Lebanon, and finally to Russia. There, she now heads the think tank “Gorki Center.”

NEOS parliamentary group leader Yannick Shetty believes that Kneissl’s propaganda business model, in particular, will have legal consequences for her Austrian citizenship. In any case, the legal situation seems clear in this case: If an Austrian citizen works for a foreign state and thereby damages the reputation of the Alpine republic, her citizenship will be revoked by the authorities.