What takes a long time finally becomes good? Vladimir Putin has given the former foreign minister of Austria an official post. The Russian was given the task by choice to take care of the protection of the Siberian tiger in Russia.
In some cases, only a few years separate bowing to an autocrat from holding an official position, as the career of Karin Kneissl shows. Putin has appointed the former chief diplomat of Austria as ambassador for the protection of the Amur tigers, which are endangered in Russia, the Russian news agency RIA reports.
The Russian by choice, who at every opportunity labels herself a “political refugee,” has already been put in charge of a Russian think tank in St. Petersburg. The Kremlin always portrays her as a victim and living proof of the “depravity of the West.”
New “phase” of cooperation
In the future, Kneissl will support the General Director of the Amur Tiger Center, Sergei Aramilev, in international affairs, he told RIA at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok.
Last year, Kneissl reportedly showed interest in adopting an Amur tiger. According to a report by Russian state media ‘Sputnik’ from September 2023, the 59-year-old is also said to have been involved financially. Kneissl has already donated several thousand euros to the Laso nature reserve. Aramilev is said to say that they have now reached “a new phase of cooperation”.
Knicks make Kneissl world famous
The ex-minister gained worldwide fame in 2018 when she danced with Kremlin leader Putin at her wedding in Gamlitz, southern Styria. She bowed to the autocrat, who had already annexed parts of Ukraine and undermined democratic structures in Russia. A photo of it went around the world.
This has not damaged the relationship with Putin, on the contrary. Last year she told the BBC that she was a big fan of the Russian ruler. She compared the Russian president to the ideal image of a “perfect gentleman” that British writer Jane Austen portrayed in her early 19th century novel “Pride and Prejudice”.
Since then, Putin has repeatedly sent the ex-minister as an ‘analyst’. At the Russian invitation, Kneissl recently appeared at the United Nations Security Council in New York. The ex-politician, who participated via a video from Russia, warned of the impact of Western arms supplies to Ukraine on Europe. She did not distance herself from Russia’s war of aggression. She describes Ukraine as a ‘black hole’ in which terrorists are taking flight.
Now it is clear: in addition to verbal caresses for Putin, Kneissl can now also take care of the sensitivities of Siberian tigers.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
