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Former Austrian Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl (58) is moving to Russia. The Austrian media report this. For this purpose, the Russian Air Force specially flew Kneissl’s two beloved ponies from Syria to St. Petersburg.
A Russian military blogger had already complained on September 7 that ponies were being loaded at the Russian-controlled Hmeimim military air base in Syria instead of military heroes or combat equipment. “If our country really needs that many ponies, then of course we will fly ponies. But write to me to see who they belong to,” the Austrian “Kleine Zeitung” quoted the Telegram blogger named Fighterbomber.
Airlift for ponies
On September 9, St. Petersburg veterinary authorities confirmed that veterinarians had checked two of the Austrian ex-minister’s newly arrived ponies. The authority published a photo of a good-humored Kneissl. Clearly, the prominent influx is a certain propaganda success for the regime.
Kneissl lived in Lebanon before moving to Saint Petersburg. She has the best contacts in Russia, all the way to the top of the Kremlin. President Vladimir Putin (70) was guest of honor at her wedding in 2018.
Kneissl’s ponies were transported to their new home by a military transport Il-76MD. The plane apparently belongs to the 224th Aviation Squadron of the Russian Ministry of Defense. The US placed this unit on a sanctions list in May due to military technology and mercenary transports of Wagner’s private army.
Russophobia
After her arrival in Russia, non-party politician Kneissl, who served as federal minister from December 2017 to June 2019, immediately took action against the Western sanctions policy against Moscow, which launched an invasion war in Ukraine in February 2022.
In an interview with the Russian newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda, Kneissl spoke of “many dirty decisions” that were “taken at different levels”.
Russophobia – anti-Russianism or anti-Russianism – is not only observed at the government level. “A large part of society, especially in Austria and Germany, is involved in attempts to abolish Russian culture.”
Bow to Putin
With St. Petersburg, Kneissl moves to the birthplace of Kremlin ruler Putin. She’s very close there. In 2018, he attended their wedding in southern Styria, where Kneissl – kissing Putin’s hand – bowed to the future warlord. Photos of her dancing the waltz with Putin went around the world at the time.
In 2021, the former Foreign Minister of Austria took a seat on the supervisory board of the Russian state oil company Rosneft. In May 2022, a few weeks after the outbreak of war, Kneissl left the company’s supervisory board.
In the former Leningrad, she now takes over the leadership of the Gorky think tank, which she founded in June. The institute, which is affiliated with the University of St. Petersburg, stands for ‘Geopolitical Observatory for Russia’s Key Issues’.
Source: Blick
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
