NEOS Calls for Former Austrian Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl's Citizenship to be Revoked
Former Austrian Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl has once again caused a diplomatic scandal. Following a series of insults against her country of birth, in which she referred to Austrians as “hyenas” and made a bizarre comparison to Hitler, the NEOS party is now demanding drastic consequences: they want to revoke the Austrian citizenship of the former politician, who now lives in Russia.
Vladimir Putin at the wedding of Karin Kneissl on 18 August 2018. / Picture: © Wikimedia Commons / Kremlin.ru, CC BY 4.0
In an interview with the pro-Russian YouTube channel “Bridge to the East,” Kneissl, who became world famous in 2018 for kneeling before Vladimir Putin, launched an all-out attack on Austria, as reported by the KleineZeitung newspaper. She said she did not miss Europe, except perhaps France. In Austria, she said, people are not human beings, but “hyenas.” She also repeated her claim made in 2024 that it was “no coincidence that Hitler came from Austria,” citing an alleged mixture of “small-mindedness, envy, and inferiority complexes” among the population.
NEOS plans legal action
NEOS club chairman Yannick Shetty criticized Kneissl for abusing her title as former foreign minister to defame Austria in Russian propaganda media. The party announced that it would submit a statement of facts with the aim of revoking Kneissl's citizenship, as reported by the KleineZeitung newspaper.
However, this is a legal hurdle: according to the Austrian Citizenship Act (§ 33), citizenship can be revoked if someone “performs a service for a foreign state” and thereby significantly damages the interests or reputation of the Republic. Whether Kneissl's activities in Russia, where she heads the G.O.R.K.I. Center (Geopolitical Observatory for Russia's Key Issues) at the University of St. Petersburg, among other things, can be legally classified as “serving a foreign state,” which is a matter of debate among experts.
A life in the service of Moscow
Karin Kneissl's connection to the Kremlin has steadily intensified since she left politics. She took over the management of a think tank. Kneissl was appointed head of the G.O.R.K.I. Center, a think tank directly affiliated with St. Petersburg State University. There, she primarily deals with geopolitical strategies for Russia.
Her residence in Russia: After living in Lebanon for a time, she moved into a house in the Russian village of Petrushovo in 2023 and now lives permanently in St. Petersburg. She describes herself as a “political refugee.” Despite her proximity to the regime, she stated in 2023 that she did not intend to apply for a Russian passport – probably because doing so would automatically result in her losing her Austrian citizenship.
Political reactions
While the NEOS party is pushing for her citizenship to be revoked, the ÖVP is using the case to attack the FPÖ. ÖVP Secretary General Nico Marchetti emphasized that Kneissl is an example of how quickly the Freedom Party's patriotism ends when Russia calls. The FPÖ, which once nominated Kneissl, has not yet explicitly distanced itself from her recent statements, which have led to accusations of “double standards” from the opposition.
It remains to be seen whether the legal action taken by NEOS will be successful. Since states are required to avoid statelessness, Kneissl could only lose her red passport if she either officially accepts another citizenship or if it can be proven that she is directly and officially employed by the Russian Federation.