Germany's far-right AfD party's ties to Russia raise fears of sensitive EU information being leaked to Putin's men

Several German lawmakers told Politico that the AfD's access to a parliamentary database containing thousands of EU documents, from briefing notes for ministerial summits to summaries of confidential meetings between ambassadors, is a security risk.

The Alternative for Germany (AfD) party's access to confidential EU documents is raising concerns that they could end up in Moscow's hands, given the far-right group's affinities, three EU diplomats and four German lawmakers said.

How would things work?

German MPs – including those from the AfD – have access to a database containing thousands of EU files.

Among them are confidential notes from ambassadorial meetings, in which the bloc's diplomats discuss their countries' positions on geopolitical issues, such as plans to finance Ukraine using frozen Russian assets.

“The problem is that we have a party, the AfD, about which there are justified suspicions of leaking information to China or Russia,” said Greens MP Anton Hofreiter, chairman of the Bundestag's European affairs committee, quoted by Politico.

These suspicions influence how sensitive talks are conducted, as diplomats increasingly consider the risks of their positions being exposed.

The scandal surrounding the Hungarian government

Concerns about AfD movements are not singular.

Budapest has recently been accused in the media of passing information on confidential discussions of EU leaders to Moscow, allegations that Hungary's foreign minister has denied.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó confirmed that he is contacting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during private meetings with the EU.

Szijjarto argued that talks with other partners are on the side of diplomacy.

“I speak not only with the Russian foreign minister, but also with the Americans, Turks, Israelis, Serbs and others before and after the European Union Council meetings,” Szijjártó said on Monday evening.

“We are all cautious”

Effects exist. EU countries are already meeting in smaller groups because of concerns that “less loyal” countries are leaking sensitive information to the government of Russian President Vladimir Putin, a European government official said, as cited by Politico.

“In Brussels we are taking every possible precaution to protect sensitive meetings and information,” said a senior EU diplomat. But AfD MPs' access to confidential material “leaves a huge, Putin-shaped gap in our security measures,” he said.

“We are all cautious when it comes to sharing sensitive information in a format with 27 EU member states,” another diplomat said.

“Whether it's because of (Hungarian leader Viktor) Orbán or because of the German system, we don't share all the information freely as we would among our closest confidants,” he added.

While concerns about the AfD exist, they have not been raised at the official level, diplomats cited by Politico said.

The AfD has denied passing on information from the system to Russia or China. “We do not comment on unfounded allegations,” a spokesman for the AfD parliamentary group said in response to a request for comment.

A German system

The problem – for some – seems to be the German system.

Unlike other national parliaments, all AfD MPs and aides in the Bundestag have access to EuDoX, a database containing thousands of EU documents, from briefing notes for ministerial summits to summaries of confidential meetings between ambassadors.

The system was created as a safeguard against unchecked executive power, a particular concern in Germany given its Nazi past.

The documents – about 25,000 a year – are entered into the system by a special unit within the Bundestag, which receives them from the government. The database contains “restricted” documents, the lowest classification of confidential information.

Some experts say there is nothing particularly sensitive in the database. But seven German lawmakers or their aides who use the database told Politico that the AfD's access poses a security risk.

white nights

“The AfD's apparent close ties to Putin, the contacts between numerous AfD MPs and the Russian embassy, ​​their trips to Moscow, their interception of Russian propaganda speeches and their deliberate attempts to obtain security-related information through parliamentary inquiries are causing white nights to all who care deeply about the country's security,” said Roland Theis, a lawmaker from German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's party.

MPs fear that the AfD could divulge information that could be of interest to Russian intelligence services.

These include government intelligence on local drone defense systems, Western weapons shipments to Ukraine, and authorities' intelligence on Russian sabotage and hybrid activities in the Baltic Sea region.

Other accusations against the AfD

Late last year, the party's lawmakers were accused of using their right to ask parliamentary questions to gather information for the Kremlin, allegations denied by the party's leadership.

At the beginning of 2025, however, a former assistant to MEP Maximilian Krah was convicted of spying for China.

The Bundestag administration took a number of measures last year to ensure information security, including denying AfD staff members access to buildings and parliamentary IT systems.