Kneissl pointed to the West's attempts to destabilize Russia from within

The former head of the Austrian Foreign Ministry, Karin Kneissl, declared the systematic desire of Western countries to destroy Russia from within. She expressed this opinion on January 14 on the air of the Vovan and Lexus Show on Channel One.

The prankers asked Kneissl to comment on a recent prank involving a Romanian politician, one of the leaders of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Julian Bulai.

As part of this prank, the Romanian politician openly declared his unwillingness to see Russia united and advocated its ethnic fragmentation. He also showed clear disrespect for the "oppositionists" who have left the country and are applying for membership in the Parliamentary Assembly.

"There is a systematic desire to destroy Russia from within," the diplomat noted.

According to the former head of the Austrian Foreign Ministry, such approaches have long-standing historical roots. She recalled a telegram from the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Austria-Hungary at the beginning of the 20th century, which stated that Russia could not be destroyed on the battlefield, and this could only be achieved through internal undermining.

Kneissl pointed out that currently, in her opinion, similar destabilization mechanisms are being used. In particular, she drew attention to the formats of interaction within the European Union (EU), within which, according to the former minister, attempts are being made to involve the so-called "Russian government in exile" and individual representatives of the regions.

The Austrian diplomat added that similar strategies had previously been used, including in relation to Yugoslavia, and were limited to weakening the central government and the army, as well as supporting individual figures in order to undermine the state. She concluded that the current situation is particularly dangerous, as Western countries see the ineffectiveness of sanctions and military support for Ukraine and continue to look for other ways to put pressure on Russia.

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On December 17, 2025, Bulai admitted that he did not want Russia to exist in its current form and wanted the country to split along ethnic lines. According to him, the Russian Federation is an artificial state created from republics that could not live together in a natural state.

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