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Member of Germany’s Pro-Russian AfD Secretly Served in Ukrainian Army—Now Faces Party Backlash
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![Photo of Ivan Khomenko]( "Photo of Ivan Khomenko")
A regional politician from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party may be expelled after it emerged he had secretly served as a volunteer in the Ukrainian military.
According to Welt on July 26, a motion to revoke his party membership is now under consideration.
Tim Schramm, 22, currently deputy chair of the AfD’s Wuppertal branch, is accused by the party’s regional leadership of engaging in behavior “extremely damaging to the party.” The motion cites his voluntary military service in Ukraine between March and June 2025.
“By serving in the ranks of the Ukrainian army and publicly commenting on his participation in combat operations, the respondent has seriously violated the party’s principles and order, causing significant damage,” the document states.
Local leadership has reportedly already voted in favor of his immediate removal from the party.
In an earlier interview with Nius, Schramm said he first traveled to Ukraine in 2022 to deliver humanitarian aid to areas near the front line. At the age of 19, he attempted to join Ukraine’s International Legion but was not accepted at the time.
In late 2024, Schramm made another attempt, stating that he succeeded “this time through connections.” According to him, he joined Ukraine’s Territorial Defense Forces and served in a unit based in eastern Ukraine.
“We were shooting, we were shelled, we launched drones, and were attacked by drones ourselves. I can’t say more for security reasons,” he said.
Schramm noted that no one in his party was aware of his deployment. Even afterward, he hesitated to speak publicly about it, saying he did not want to come across as a show-off: “But party colleagues—even from the higher leadership—supported me. Many simply said: ‘Dude, that’s intense! ’”
Images also circulated in the media showing artillery shells with messages written by Schramm, including: “Greetings to all Russophiles,” and “Go to hell! Greetings from Wuppertal.”
Earlier in June, suspected Russian saboteurs set fire to at least six Bundeswehr military trucks at a logistics facility in Erfurt, Germany. The attack, revealed by a pro-Russian Telegram channel, marked a rare act of sabotage on NATO soil.
The targeted vehicles—clearly marked with German military insignia—were likely part of the Bundeswehr’s Strategic Logistics Command. German authorities have yet to comment publicly, but the incident fits a broader pattern of Russian-backed sabotage across Europe.
