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Russian Trojan Horse? Germany’s AfD Accused of Serving as Kremlin’s Eyes in Parliament
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Germany’s far-right party Alternative für Deutschland (AfD), which recently secured second place in national elections, has come under scrutiny over allegations of spying for Russia, Handelsblatt reported on October 22.
According to Georg Maier, Interior Minister of Thuringia, AfD has been “abusing parliamentary inquiries” to collect sensitive information on Germany’s critical infrastructure, including transportation networks, energy systems, water supply, and digital communications.
Maier stated that the party has shown “special interest” in police information technology, anti-drone systems, and civil defense equipment. “It gives the impression that AfD is simply carrying out an order from the Kremlin,” Maier told Handelsblatt.
Maier noted that AfD lawmakers submitted 47 such information requests in Thuringia over the past year, with similar activity observed at the federal level. He described the increasing frequency and technical detail of the inquiries as a pattern raising security concerns.
Mark Henrichmann, chair of the Bundestag Committee on Intelligence Oversight, supported Maier’s assessment.
“Russia uses its obvious influence in parliament, especially in AfD, for espionage and gathering confidential information,” Henrichmann said, as quoted by Handelsblatt.
He added that the Kremlin’s interest in the party appears to serve the objectives of hybrid warfare, and that AfD “willingly allows Putin to use it for this betrayal.”
Konstantin von Notz, deputy chair of the same committee, warned that AfD “harms Germany by deliberately becoming a mouthpiece for dictators and spreading their narratives in society and parliament.” He recalled that German intelligence officials have repeatedly cautioned that Russia seeks to exploit extremist groups for its own purposes.
The latest accusations follow reports of a planned visit to Moscow by AfD deputy parliamentary leader Markus Frohnmaier. Martin Huber, Secretary General of the Christian Social Union (CSU), demanded the trip be canceled and warned it could amount to treason. Frohnmaier responded that he acts “exclusively in Germany’s interest.”
AfD’s first parliamentary secretary, Bernd Baumann, dismissed the espionage allegations as “absurd suspicions,” saying the party’s requests were “in the interest of citizens” and aimed at exposing issues “caused by decades of SPD and CDU-CSU governance.” “That is the direct duty of the opposition,” Baumann said.
As Handelsblatt noted, this is not the first time AfD has faced accusations of ties to the Kremlin. European Parliament member Petr Bystron, a former senior AfD figure, is under investigation for allegedly receiving money from Voice of Europe, a media outlet linked to Viktor Medvedchuk, an ally of Vladimir Putin.
Party co-leader Tino Chrupalla also attended a reception at the Russian Embassy in Berlin in 2023.
AfD, known for its opposition to migration, EU integration, and military aid to Ukraine, has been partly designated as extremist by Germany’s domestic intelligence agency. The party won nearly 21% of the vote in February’s federal elections, securing 152 seats in the Bundestag.
Earlier, it was reported that Germany’s intelligence agency warned of a surge in pro‑Russian disinformation aimed at bolstering the far‑right AfD ahead of the 2025 federal election.
Earlier, it was reported that Germany’s intelligence agency warned of a surge in pro‑Russian disinformation aimed at bolstering the far‑right AfD ahead of the 2025 federal election.
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