Is the AfD spying for Russia?

Suspicions of espionage against the AfD have been further fueled by the interior minister of the German state of Thuringia. Social Democrat Georg Mayer expressed concern in an interview with the Handelsblatt newspaper that the Alternative for Germany (AfD) is abusing its right to ask questions in parliaments to collect information on Germany's transport infrastructure, water supply, digital infrastructure and energy system.

"One gets the impression that the AfD is actually carrying out the Kremlin's orders with its inquiries," Mayer said.

Mayer says that the AfD in Thuringia has submitted 47 such inquiries to the state parliament in the past 12 months – with “increasing intensity and level of detail.”

According to Mayer, the AfD is particularly interested in police IT equipment, including technologies for detecting and neutralizing drones. They are also asking about equipment for civil protection, healthcare, and the activities of the Bundeswehr (German army).

In Germany, so-called "small parliamentary questions" are a parliamentary instrument for monitoring the work of the government and gathering information for political debates. They are most often used by opposition parties that do not have direct access to ministries and state institutions. The government is obliged to answer these questions in writing.

In Thuringia, the AfD, led by Björn Hecke, is classified by security services as a confirmed far-right party. Hecke has previously been convicted of using a banned Nazi slogan.

AfD – praise for Putin's Russia

Hecke has repeatedly spoken positively about Russia under President Vladimir Putin in the past. In a YouTube interview with AfD politician Maximilian Krach in January 2023, after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, he said: “Today, Russia – whether the media likes it or not – is a country that not only evokes negative associations, but also the hope that it could be a fighter for a world of free and sovereign states without hegemonic influence.”

Hecke strongly rejected Minister Mayer's accusations. On his Facebook account, he accused Mayer of having a problem with the rule of law. "He has no evidence for his claims. What bothers him is that the opposition is doing what is its constitutional duty: to monitor the work of the government and, when necessary, to criticize it." According to Hecke, the questions addressed to the ministries also serve to prepare the AfD for a takeover.

Hecke announced that the AfD parliamentary group in the Erfurt state parliament would consider filing a defamation lawsuit against Minister Mayer. He also called on Thuringia's premier, Mario Vogt of the CDU, to dismiss Mayer.

The AfD is currently the strongest political force in Thuringia. Due to its confirmed far-right ties, all other parties refuse to form a coalition with it. Since last year, the state has been governed by a coalition consisting of the Christian Democrats (CDU), the Social Democrats (SPD) and the Alliance of Sarah Wagenknecht (BSW).

Bundestag: Fear of revealing secrets

Mayer has also received support from the Bundestag. The chairman of the parliamentary intelligence oversight committee (PKG), Mark Henrichmann of the CDU, told the German Editorial Network: “I firmly believe that Putin is using the AfD as a listening ear, and the party leadership – if it thinks otherwise at all – does not have the strength to prevent this kind of betrayal.”

Henrihman stated that due to similar concerns, AfD representatives were not elected to the Bundestag's parliamentary oversight committee, which meets exclusively in secret and oversees the work of federal intelligence services.

The AfD has long been criticized for its close ties to Russia. Many AfD members of parliament in the Bundestag have maintained close contacts with people in Putin's inner circle. MP Jan Nolte previously wrote for the Russian propaganda newspaper Izvestia. The AfD's deputy group leader, Markus Frohnmeier, was a member of the organizing team for the "Yalta International Economic Forum" in 2018, which was supported by the Russian government and the FSB intelligence service. In October 2025, Frohnmeier announced that he was planning political talks in Moscow.

Numerous other AfD officials have attracted public attention with statements that relativize the Russian attack on Ukraine.

Due to the AfD's close ties to Russia, Minister Mayer is calling for an "element of treason" to be included in the preparation of the request to ban the party. "The AfD is not only unconstitutional because of its ethno-nationalist worldview, but also because it threatens our free democracy with its ties to authoritarian regimes," Mayer said.