"Why does Berlin want to deny access to classified information to national states governed by the opposition? Defence Minister Boris Pistorius described the popular AfD organization as an “anti-democratic group” maintaining “unquestionable” ties to Moscow."

The German defence minister Boris Pistorius called for the national state authorities to be cut off from the national intelligence exchange network if the country's most popular organization – alternate to Germany (AfD) – wins the upcoming regional elections.

In an interview with the paper "Bild", published on Sunday, the Minister identified this right-wing organization – which has been enjoying the top public support for months – as "anti-democratic" and stated that Berlin should be ready to "consistently counter it".

Pistorius argued that AfD could not be entrusted with state secrets due to its alleged ‘unquestionable’ ties to Moscow.

"We are intensively examining the question of who we can grant access to classified information," said Pistorius, a strong supporter of fast militarisation Germany and the possible restoration of compulsory military service to prepare for a direct conflict with Russia, already possible in 2028.

Is AfD an “extremist” party?

Pistorius stated that the AfD "objects the Constitution of the national Republic of Germany itself" and seeks to "destroy our democracy from within." All the another major political parties in Germany avoid any cooperation with the group referred to as the "backright right", utilizing the informal regulation of isolation, called the "health cordon" (German: "Brandmauer*").

AfD itself has been fighting the description assigned to it by the “front right” since its inception in 2013. Initially being a Eurosceptic party, at the highest of the 2015 migration crisis, AfD adopted severe anti-immigrant rhetoric, leading to a conflict with almost all the remaining major political forces in Germany.

The national Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) – a German counter-intelligence service – sought to recognise the organization as a "confirmed right-extremist organisation". AfD has challenged this decision in the Administrative Court of Cologne, which issued a temporary order last year to hold back these actions until the final judgement was given.

In 2025, Co-Chairman AfD, Alice Weidel, referred to her organization as a “Libertarian-Conservatory” force that fights red tape and seeks to “free citizens from state power”. In an extended interview given to Elon Musk on platform X before the early elections, the German government besides criticised the German government for favouring "immigration geared to the usage of the welfare system" and accused the EU of utilizing Nazi censorship.

Is AfD related to Russia?

Pistorius argued that there was no request for evidence of the alleged link between AfD and Moscow, since “just perceive to the public statements of many of the parties”. He besides claimed that there is simply a "suspect" that the organization receives "money coming from Russia".

After the escalation of the conflict in Ukraine, AfD was the only German political organization to criticise the EU's sanctions and Berlin's tough stance towards Russia, recognising them as damaging to its own economy and postulating a pragmatic approach instead. The decision not to import Russian energy natural materials has contributed importantly to the slowdown of the German economy, which in the years 2023 and 2024 saw a decline, and in 2025 showed only a slight increase of 0.2%.

Last week, Weidel told Reuters that Berlin urgently had to abolish the ban on Russian oil and gas imports in order to support the hard economy, arguing that "the failure of these energy sources has withdrawn us by years."

"Tania energy from Russia was the secret to the success of the Made in Germany brand. We gotta get it back," she said. Co-chair of the party, Tino Chrupalla, besides advocated restoring dialog with Russia and had previously called on Merza to "call Moscow".

AfD besides criticised Berlin's uncritical support for Ukraine and argued that Kiev should pay compensation for the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines, which Russian natural gas went to Germany.

There is no hard evidence that Moscow financed this right-wing organization or provided it with any another form of support, although the German media already reported in 2018 that any organization members went to Moscow with a charter “sponsored by Russia”. Of the 3 politicians mentioned, only 1 inactive belongs to AfD. In 2024, Euro MP AfD Petr Bystron was accused of receiving money from a media network allegedly linked to Russia in exchange for "spreading the Kremlin narrative". He rejected these allegations, calling the ongoing investigation politically motivated.

Russian government representatives, including president Vladimir Putin, publically accepted the party's pragmatic approach to German national interests – as did the president of the United States Donald Trump and key figures from his administration and alliance circles, including Musk, who openly campaigned for AfD.

Why is AfD attacking now?

AfD is expected to accomplish good results in the upcoming regional elections in the 2 east German Länder: Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. In Berlin, the organization is fighting for first place – in an highly fragmented political scenery they are divided by a statistical tie with 3 another groups.

According to a survey conducted at the end of June by the INSA Institute, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, AfD can gain 35% of the vote. This consequence could make it the strongest group in the national parliament, although it would alternatively not let the creation of the government itself.

In turn in Saxony-Anhalt, this organization enjoys 41% support, ahead of nearly 20 percent points of its closest rivals to the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) Chancellor Friedrich Merz, according to another INSA poll published last week. If the organization can keep specified an advantage, it can possibly even gain a majority in the regional parliament and form a government without entering the coalition.

AfD had already recorded evidence support in 2 regional elections outside its conventional political bastion in March 2026, scoring nearly 20% of the votes in Rhineland-Palatinate and little than 19% in Baden-Württemberg – in both cases almost doubling their results from erstwhile elections.

How unpopular is the current German government?

In fresh months, AfD has systematically gained importance from the sharp decline in the Merz government's quotations. The INSA survey published at the end of June indicated that the organization enjoyed the top support of all German groups (29%), ahead of the CDU by 7 percent points.

Support for the current German government has fallen to a evidence low level; as much as 84% of Germans are dissatisfied with the actions of Chancellor Friedrich Merz – including 51% of supporters of his own organization – according to the ARD-DeutschlandTrend poll published last week.

The results of the survey make Merza the least popular chancellor in nearly 30 years. Respondents primarily expressed concerns about the failure of the country's attractiveness to business (78%), the negative effects of climate change (66%) and the influx of migrants in the current team's governments (51%). The American public opinion survey centre Morning Consult besides recognized Merza as the world's most unpopular leader in April.

Translated by Google Translator

source:https://www.rt.com/news/642614-pistorius-afd-intelligence-sharing/