It became "headline" of foreign media for dancing with Putin, the close friend moves to Russia, this is why the move has caused controversy

Austria's former foreign minister moved to Russia with her pony, The Guardian recently reported. Karin Kneisl is said to be heading a research center in Russia that she founded in collaboration with St. Petersburg University. Former Austrian Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl, who made "media headlines" in 2018 for dancing with Russian President Vladimir Putin at her wedding, has moved to St. Petersburg, along with the miniature horses, which were transported from Russian military aircraft. In 2018, Karin Kneissl, then the foreign minister of Austria, caused a stir when she invited Putin to her wedding. It came under fire just months after several EU countries, with the exception of Austria, expelled dozens of Russian diplomats in response to the attack on Sergei Skripal. The 58-year-old left the government the following year. A highly controversial figure in her country, Kneissle moved to France in September 2020 and became a columnist for Russia Today. In a Telegram post on Wednesday, she expressed concern that her move had taken on political connotations. Last week, two of her ponies were flown to St. Petersburg on a military plane from the Russian airbase in Khmeimim, Syria, according to a report by the Russian investigative website Insider. In June, Kneisl opened the Gorky Center, an institute at St. Petersburg University that operates under her leadership. The center was created to "help define policy for the Russian Federation" with a focus on the Middle East. Two years ago, Kneislova joined the board of directors of Russian oil giant Rosneft. She resigned in May 2022.