Head of the German Interior Ministry: AfD is Putin's German party. “Her connections with Russia need to be investigated”

The head of the German Interior Ministry, Alexander Dobrindt, said on Sunday in an interview for the “Handelsblatt” daily that the right-wing populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) is behaving like “Putin's German party.” He added that the investigative authorities must clarify the possible connections of AfD politicians and employees with Russia.

According to Dobrindt, “AfD openly shows its closeness to (Russian leader Vladimir) Putin.” “Such a position fuels suspicions that something more than just sympathy is at stake,” the minister emphasized.

The debate about AfD's possible ties with Russia gained momentum in Germany after the words of the head of the Interior Ministry of Thuringia, Georg Maier, who suggested that the party's politicians may act to benefit Moscow. According to Maier, AfD MPs submit numerous interpellations regarding critical infrastructure. The AfD denies the allegations, and its Thuringian leader Bjoern Hoecke demanded Maier's resignation.

Dobrindt said that “for a party that so openly supports Putin, it is not surprising that such suspicions arise.” He added that ongoing investigations into AfD members or employees only intensify them. “How deep these connections are must be clarified by the investigative authorities,” he said.

The head of the German Interior Ministry also referred to the planned trip of AfD MP Markus Frohnmaier to Russia. CSU Secretary General Martin Huber described it as “high treason.”

“The AfD defends Putin's aggressive war and ignores violations of international law, and at the same time calls itself (a) patriotic party. However, true patriots love their country and do not question the right of other nations to self-determination,” Dobrindt said, emphasizing that he understood calling the AfD's attitude high treason.

Dobrindt ironized that it is difficult to consider the visits of AfD MPs to the Russian embassy as “ordinary meetings over coffee.”

The largest German parties have been isolating the AfD on the domestic political scene for years, accusing the group's activists of radicalism, right-wing populism and maintaining contacts with Russia. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced a tougher course towards the AfD and assured that under his leadership the Christian Democrats would not cooperate with it. This declaration is the result of the ongoing discussion in the CDU/CSU about the so-called firewall (isolating and excluding political cooperation) against the AfD. Some CDU politicians, especially from the eastern federal states where the AfD receives support of 30-40 percent, demand that the current position be softened.

AfD remains the leader in German polls. According to a study by the Insa institute published on Friday, this party can count on 26 percent. support, two percentage points more than the Christian Democratic bloc CDU/CSU. The ruling SPD came in third with 15 percent. (PAP)

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