Former Austrian Minister Karin Kneissl's Relocation to Russia

In a 19th Century St Petersburg mansion, former Austrian Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl sits opposite me, with her boxer dog, Winston Churchill, asleep and snoring on the floor. Kneissl recounts a diplomatic incident where she had to wake her dog up during a phone call to her German colleague, to avoid giving the impression that Vienna was asleep when Berlin called. Kneissl has had a varied career, and in 2018, she made headlines when Russian President Vladimir Putin attended her wedding. She has faced controversy for her perceived close ties to Russia, and after leaving office in 2019, she struggled to find work due to political pressure. She eventually moved to Russia to head an analytical center at St Petersburg University. Kneissl defends her move, claiming academic freedom and denying any association with the repression happening in Russia. She also believes that Western sanctions on Russia are ineffective and that European leaders who call for regime change make negotiations difficult. Kneissl describes Putin as an intelligent gentleman and insists that her life has been destroyed by false accusations and defamation. She intends to stay in Russia until her reputation is cleared.