Die außenpolitische Haltung der AfD: Ein Besuch bei Moskaus „Chef-Agitator“ und Putin-Anbetung – wie die AfD engere Beziehungen zu Russland anstrebt

>He is regarded as Putin’s “chief agitator” and the Kremlin’s “whip-cracker”: the Russian propagandist Vladimir Solovyov repeatedly makes headlines with his tirades against Germany and European allies. Since February 2022, the 62-year-old has repeatedly threatened countries supporting Ukraine – which Russia has invaded – with military invasions.
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>On state television, for example, he announced an invasion by Russian troops “back into Berlin, just like in the 20th century”. He threatened in March 2025 that “Germany would be wiped off the face of the earth” should the German government supply Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine.
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>These statements did not prevent Jörg Urban, the Saxon AfD regional leader, from giving an interview to the channel “SolovievLive”, as revealed by a WELT investigation for the [“Politico” podcast “Inside AfD”](https://www.politico.eu/podcast/inside-afd/internationalem-afd-bundnis-droht-ein-verbot/). Last week, the channel published videos of the interview on platforms including Telegram (1.1 million subscribers) and the Russian social network VK (575,000 subscribers). The interview took place on the sidelines of the St Petersburg Economic Forum, which Urban had attended alongside three other AfD politicians. “It is good to see that Russia is not isolated,” Urban told “SolovievLive”. He said he wanted to “promote good relations between Germany and Russia” in St Petersburg and show that there are forces in Germany that “want economic, cultural, sporting and scientific cooperation”.
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>Solovyov is on a European Union sanctions list and is barred from entering member states. After he insulted Italy’s Prime Minister, the right-wing populist Giorgia Meloni, in April this year, calling her a “slut”, a “monster” and a “bitch”, the Italian Foreign Ministry summoned the Russian ambassador.
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>Why, then, is Urban appearing on Solovyov’s channel? When asked by “Inside AfD”, the Saxon politician pointed to the “very large audience” that Solovyov has in Russia. “These people should know that there are majorities in Germany opposed to the current policy of escalation and confrontation.”
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>A spokesperson for the Saxon AfD parliamentary group said: “We reject any form of guilt by association. Jörg Urban is responsible for his own statements. Vladimir Solovyov is responsible for his respective statements. Logically, we do not endorse these statements.”
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>Urban had taken part in a panel discussion in St Petersburg entitled “Cultural Diplomacy and Soft Power: Important Instruments of Global Influence”. “When we lived in Saxony during the socialist era, contacts with Russia gave people a great deal of strength; they travelled to the Soviet Union and visited Soviet universities,” Urban said on the panel, according to a translator, as can be heard on a stream provided by the organisers.
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>Later at the economic forum, Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke highly of the AfD. The MPs from the far-right party knew how to “clearly articulate the interests of the German people and the German economy” and were “prepared to fight for them”, Putin said. AfD Member of the Bundestag Christina Baum shared the clip on her Telegram channel last weekend – and raved about the Russian president. “Putin is a true statesman,” wrote Baum. “None of the politicians currently in government come anywhere near his stature and intelligence.” In her unreserved praise, she made no mention whatsoever of the war of aggression against Ukraine and the crimes committed in the process, or the suppression of political opposition and independent media in Russia. When asked, the AfD in the Bundestag refused to distance itself from this: “The parliamentary group does not comment on individual statements made by its MPs,” a spokesperson said. Baum left a query unanswered.
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>In St Petersburg, Jörg Urban was not the only one to appear in Russian state media. AfD Members of the Bundestag Steffen Kotré and Markus Frohnmaier also gave interviews to several such outlets. In these interviews, they did not express any criticism of Russia, but instead put forward demands in line with the Kremlin’s position. Kotré told the state news agency Ria Novosti, for example, that security in Europe was “only possible with Russia”. Germany, on the other hand, was “losing ground in all areas”. In the Russian online media outlet “Lenta”, Kotré criticised the deployment of a German brigade to Lithuania to strengthen NATO’s eastern flank. Germany must also end its support for Ukraine.
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>AfD party leader Alice Weidel made similar comments in the Bundestag on Tuesday. Germany must “immediately halt” arms deliveries and financial aid to Ukraine, she said. An AfD-led federal government would “first and foremost seek negotiations with Russia and force Ukraine to the negotiating table with the Russians”.
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>Frohnmaier, the AfD’s foreign affairs spokesperson in the Bundestag, had previously told the state news agency Tass in St Petersburg that “good relations with Russia” were in the interests of German citizens and businesses, for example with regard to affordable energy. He claimed that the AfD had come under pressure from the other parties regarding the trip, but that the party remained “relatively unimpressed” by this. The Nord Stream gas pipeline must be brought back into operation.
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>In St Petersburg, the 35-year-old had, among other things, exchanged views with the spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Mariya Zakharova, and met with Kirill Dmitriev, a close confidant of Putin and the President’s special representative for investment and economic cooperation. Another meeting took place with Alexey Miller, CEO of the state-controlled Russian energy supplier Gazprom. Gazprom is the world’s largest natural gas producer. The company published a joint press release and a photo featuring Frohnmaier.
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>His counterpart, Miller, is wearing a pin on his suit featuring a “Z”. In Russia, the “Z” serves as a propaganda symbol of support for the war of aggression against Ukraine. In Germany, displaying the symbol can be punished as an endorsement of criminal offences.

*Translated with DeepL.com (free version)*

Because any country that doesn’t want to march east and fight Russia is crazy, or traitorous, right? 🤡🌎

Russian puppets are everywhere. Damn.

„Wess‘ Brot ich ess‘, dess‘ Lied ich sing.“ – AfD are known traitors to anyone who reads the news occassionally. Unfortunately our judicative is not allowed to take action against them as a majority of established political parties believes they cannot alienate AfD voters (neonazis, conspiracy nuts and losers who want to see the world burn). This will backfire soon and cripple coalition building with the next state and federal elections.

They can join Putin, in prison.