Russia accused of spreading disinformation for German far right ahead of polls

BERLIN – Some German lawmakers and anti-Kremlin activists suspect Russia of inflaming sensitive regional divisions, smearing mainstream political parties and spreading disinformation to help the far right ahead of hotly contested regional elections in Germany.

In the former communist eastern states of Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the Alternative for Germany (AfD) is topping the polls ahead of votes scheduled for Sept 6 and 20.

The anti-immigrant, pro-Russian party is aiming to take control of a regional government – which would be a first in Germany for the far right since 1945 – and deal a blow to Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s unpopular ruling coalition.

In recent months, posts spreading misinformation have been appearing in ever greater numbers across social media platforms X, TikTok and Bluesky.

For lawmakers focused on security issues, the prime suspect is Moscow, which – in its efforts to destabilise Germany – is accused of relying on the AfD. The party denies this, claiming instead that it is the victim of “political” manipulation.

Antibot4Navalny, a group of anonymous anti-Kremlin activists named after the late Russian opposition figure, detected a first campaign in June.

This involved mocked-up versions of well-known media outlets, including AFP, popping up online that focused on fanning divisions between eastern and western Germany.

After being reported, the accounts sharing the posts were blocked.

The group detected a second campaign in July, which saw politicians accused of corruption and sex offences in posts purporting to come from leading German media such as public broadcasters ARD and Deutsche Welle.

Two parties were not targeted – the AfD and BSW, a small, pro-Russian, far-left outfit.

Antibot4Navalny believes the campaigns were linked to Matryoshka (Russian doll), a Kremlin influence operation, which has been linked to spreading fake content for political purposes before.

While there is no irrefutable proof of Russian involvement, “there is no other plausible explanation”, said one activist from the group, interviewed by AFP via a messaging app.

“We have been monitoring Matryoshka on a daily basis for about 2 1/2 years”, the activist said, noting that the German campaigns employ similar methods.

AfD, Russia ‘share the work’

Konstantin von Notz, a Green party MP and vice-chair of Parliament’s intelligence oversight committee, says it is obvious that Russia and the far right “are sharing the work”.

“The narrative being spread from Russia into Germany, with a budget running into the millions, is then deliberately re-broadcast by the AfD in a targeted way,” he told AFP, adding such efforts were common at elections nowadays.

The opposition lawmaker also accused the government of inaction, urging it to “finally take these dangers seriously”.

The Russian embassy, in a statement to AFP, called such accusations “ridiculous” and said Germany and Europe were on an “extremely dangerous path” that did not serve their citizens’ interests.

The ruling coalition, comprised of Merz’s centre-right CDU/CSU bloc and the centre-left SPD party, frequently accuses Moscow of waging a “hybrid” war, combining disinformation, espionage, and sabotage.

Asked by AFP, the government did not comment directly on Matryoshka but said that “information manipulation operations... have long constituted a daily threat”.

The BfV domestic spy agency said it was aware of the campaign on social networks and had noted similarities with the Russian group.

No counter-measures have yet been announced, however.

The chairman of the intelligence oversight committee, CDU lawmaker Marc Henrichmann, said that Germany had to be careful when responding to such campaigns to avoid attracting unnecessary attention.

“If, by targeting a campaign, we end up giving it even more publicity, then, obviously, we will have made a mistake,” he said.

Antibot4Navalny told AFP that while the volume of content is “impressive”, the campaign’s reach so far is limited.

Henrichmann acknowledged that Germans are “a bit more cautious” when it comes to tackling state-backed disinformation, and called for the country’s spies to be given stronger powers.

‘Cognitive war’

He believes Russia is waging “cognitive war” aimed at spreading fear and dividing Germany, which has launched a massive overhaul of its armed forces and become Ukraine’s leading donor as it seeks to keep Russia’s military ambitions in check.

“One thing is certain: The AfD is (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s mouthpiece in Germany and is consciously exploiting these narratives,” he charged.

In Saxony-Anhalt, where the AfD hopes to win state polls on Sept 6, the party’s leaders and supporters dismiss these accusations.

They believe the AfD has the common sense to urge the government to stop spending billions on Ukraine and immigrants, and to advocate that Germany resumes buying cheap Russian energy to revive its struggling economy.

“Seeking a reasonable understanding with another country does not mean you’re working for it,” Ulrich Siegmund, the party’s top candidate in the region, told AFP.

“German interests are our compass, but to serve these interests, we also need cheap raw materials, that’s a fact,” he said on the sidelines of a recent party congress.

Supporter Hans-Joachim Dietrich, a 66-year-old retired truck driver, told AFP: “I think we must argue more strongly, including within the AfD, that Russia is our natural ally.” AFP