"I don't need the Maldives or the Seychelles." Ex-Foreign Minister of Austria Karin Kneissl about life in the Ryazan village
Former Austrian Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl, who recently settled in the Ryazan village of Petrushevo, spoke about her life in Russia. In particular, the politician in an interview with TASS said that life in the Russian outback is closer and more understandable to her than luxury resorts in the Maldives and Seychelles.
"I like life here. I understand this world, I have understood it since I was a girl. Grandmothers, apples, summer, swim in the river. It's a good life. I don't need the Maldives or the Seychelles. It's better," she said . However, Kneissl clarified that she does not live in Petrushovo permanently: "I just rented a small house there, a village house. Now the whole world knows where my house is."
Meanwhile, Karin Kneissl visited the international military-technical forum "Army-2023" and told the Zvezda TV channel that she lives in Lebanon, and came to Russia "with two suitcases" just to spend the summer. In an interview with the channel, she commented on the current political crisis in the world and Russia's special operation in Ukraine. “I don’t think this is the end of history, which some people are very much afraid of. This is part of history, and if you look at the broader context, history will continue, there will be tectonic shifts in geopolitics, as Vladimir Putin and even Chancellor Scholz are talking about” Kneissl said.
Recall that the ex-Minister of Foreign Affairs of Austria Karin Kneissl, at whose wedding Vladimir Putin danced , settled in the Ryazan region this summer. The politician previously said she was "forced" to leave Austria three years ago. She was also not allowed to work in France and "even refused to open a bank account." “I was afraid. I had to flee from Europe, I was not accepted anywhere. And I went to Lebanon because I knew Arabic. To stay in Russia, I needed help,” she said.
Karin Kneissl headed the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 2017 to 2019. Due to the presence of Vladimir Putin at her wedding , Kneisl was criticized by some Austrian politicians who called for her to resign. In 2021, Kneisl joined the board of directors of Rosneft as an independent director, she was nominated by the Russian government. In May last year, she left Rosneft in connection with the military special operation of the Russian Federation in Ukraine.