A former foreign minister of Austria, who danced with Russian President Vladimir Putin at her wedding, has relocated to St. Petersburg along with her two ponies, as reported by independent news outlet The Insider.
Karin Kneissl will now lead the Geopolitical Observatory for Russia’s Key Issues (GORKI), a research center at St. Petersburg State University that was established in March and is responsible for advancing Russian foreign policy.
She brought her ponies with her using a Russian plane that was sanctioned by the U.S. and Ukraine, according to The Insider, citing the pro-war Telegram channel Fighterbomber.
Over the weekend, the Leningrad region’s veterinary service inspected Kneissl’s ponies and stated that they are in good health.
The photos show the Ilyushin Il-76 cargo plane, which has been subjected to U.S. and Ukrainian sanctions since May for transporting Wagner mercenaries, as mentioned by The Insider.
The Insider also mentioned that a local horse club in the southeastern part of St. Petersburg has taken in the ponies, stating that they have crossed six state borders and originally came from Austria.
Kneissl has been residing in Russia since at least the summer, when she temporarily lived in a village southeast of Moscow.
In an interview with Russia’s state-run news agency TASS, Kneissl stated, “I co-founded the GORKI center and I am running it. Since it requires a lot of attention and work, I cannot do it remotely. Therefore, I made the decision to move to St. Petersburg.”
Kneissl, who served as Austria’s foreign minister from 2017-19, became well-known for dancing with Putin during her wedding in Austria in 2018.
