Karin Knaisl dances with the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, at her wedding in Hamilton, August 2018.
Local media report, citing a statement from party representatives to the Krone publication the Krone publication
The Austrian liberal party NEOS is calling for stripping Karin Kneissl of her citizenship, who served as foreign minister from 2017 to 2019, and who is also known for dancing with Russian President Vladimir Putin at her own wedding in 2018. Local media confirmed this position, citing a statement by party representatives published by Krone.
According to sources, the initiative to strip Kneissl of her citizenship, who has been living in Russia since 2023, was initiated after she publicly expressed opposition to her homeland. NEOS is now preparing a legal challenge to launch the corresponding procedure.
In the context of editorial steps and political influence: the former foreign minister had previously stated that she had no intention of changing her citizenship, which became a trigger for further discussions in public politics.
Context and NEOS Position
“In Putin’s service, Kneissl spreads only one message: Austria is the gateway to hell, Putin’s Russia is a paradise garden.”
– Yannick Shetti
Shetti also noted that using the former foreign minister’s status for commercial purposes is unacceptable. Russian authorities have repeatedly denied accusations of propaganda and malicious actions against Western countries, instead asserting that the West is fueling Russophobia.
Kneissl held the position of foreign minister in the coalition government of Chancellor Sebastian Kurz. Formally she was an independent candidate; she was put forward by the Freedom Party of Austria, which adhered to euroscepticism and sought to establish relations with Russia.
In 2021, the former official joined the board of the Russian state-owned company Rosneft, from which she stepped down in May 2022. It is also known that Kneissl edited materials for the Russian state television channel RT, which is also subject to EU sanctions.
In August 2023, it became known that Karin Kneissl settled in a village in the Ryazan region, and she was also involved in work at the G.O.R.K.I. Center (Geopolitical Observatory on Key Problems of Russia’s Development) at Saint Petersburg State University, where she leads the relevant direction.