Ex-Austrian FM Karin Kneissl: West seeks to destroy Russia from within

VIENNA, June 4. /TASS/. The West knows now and has known for a long time that Russia cannot be defeated on the battlefield, so it is seeking to destroy the country from within, former Austrian Foreign Minister and current head of the G.O.R.K.I. Center at St. Petersburg State University Karin Kneissl said during the presentation of the German-language edition of her book Requiem for Europe.

The event took place on June 2 at the Russian Embassy in Vienna. Kneissl participated via video link.

"When I hear someone calling for war against Russia, it reminds me of the period leading up to the outbreak of World War I," she said, according to a video recording of her speech obtained by TASS.

Referring to a book by prominent Austrian Slavic studies scholar Elisabeth Heresch, Kneissl said that diplomatic correspondence from the early 20th century included a 1906 statement attributed to Austrian diplomats: "Russia cannot be defeated on the battlefield; the colossus must be destroyed from within."

"This idea of destroying Russia from within continues to persist in the West even today. It is one of the key aspects of the war being waged against Russia," Kneissl concluded.