(es) Vienna, April 7, 2022
Are we arriving at the end of this terrible war? Possibly not yet – the WHO is preparing for possible chemical weapon attacks in Ukraine. But it is becoming clear that Putin’s war on Ukraine has not been a star turn in the diminutive ex-spook’s career. Nor for the overwhelmingly supportive Russian population.
The Guardian’s live coverage today sums up the disaster so far.
![](https://aej.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Kneissl-dancing-with-Putin-left-the-bridegroom.jpg)
The AEJ will try to make sense of developments as the day progresses.
![](https://aej.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/kneissl-ear-rings-300x150.jpg)
Meanwhile, we are happy that a compromise has been reached in the small matter of disgraced former Austrian foreign minister Karin Kneissl’s fancy 50,000€ wedding present, these charming earrings from Vladimir Putin.
Now unemployable and she says impoverished, living in “political exile” living near Avignon, the (still) RT columnist and (still) Rosnef director gets – after a tussle with the Austrian foreign ministry – to keep for life the tasteful sapphire ear-rings given to her as a wedding present by the Russian President. His appearance at her 2018 wedding helped bring down the Austrian government, and to tarnish Austria’s reputation in the EU.
![](https://aej.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Kneissl-dogs.jpg)
In happier times, I was able to capture this moment of La Kneissl’s dogs – their boisterous enthusiasm kept in check by her then-fiancé Mr Meilinger – listening to their owner’s keynote speech in Vienna.
Less good news for Russian superyacht collectors with their toys in the Netherlands.
Serbia:
With Ukraine on fire, we have had little time to attend to the election of another Putin ally in Serbia, populist Aleksandar Vučić, who won his re-election on April 3 by a landslide. But BIRN has a word of warning for him about his Russian friend.