AfD politician Steffen Kotre is a guest of Russian propagandist Solovyov – his party claims it knew nothing about it.
Only on Wednesday (February 1), Putin’s chief propagandist, Volodymyr Solovyov, called Chancellor Olaf Scholz ( SPD ) “complete idiots” and German media professionals “descendants of Goebbels” and “runaway Nazi pigs.” A day later, politician Steffen Kotre was visiting him.
On Thursday evening (February 2), BBC journalist Francis Scarr posted a screenshot of the program on Twitter, and an excerpt of the video was shared by Telegram. Steffen Kotre, a member of the Bundestag and the AfD’s energy policy representative, said that the German media would make people hate Russia. In addition, he claimed that the public was generally against supporting Ukraine, although polls show a completely different picture.
“Heavy weapons are delivered.” The population of Germany mostly does not support this. It must be said that journalists and mass media are doing everything they can to turn German society against Russia and the Russian government. “Not everyone understands that the supply of arms is counterproductive, and now I am appalled that German tanks are being supplied again to kill the Russians,” Coutre said.
Russian propaganda: AfD does not want to know about appearances
When asked by RTL/N-TV, an AfD spokesman said that Kotre’s appearance was “unknown.” But pro-Russian statements from the far-right party are nothing new. Party leader Tino Chrupalla claimed, for example, that Moscow is responsible for the war in Ukraine but that the reasons should be sought in the West. Last July, he also called for an end to sanctions against Russia.
TV presenter Volodymyr Solovyov is considered one of the most influential propagandists in Russia, he is sometimes called “the voice of Putin.” For several months, his show “An Evening with Volodymyr Solovyov” was a gathering place for Russian hardliners and conspiracy theorists. Inexplicable accusations and threats are the turns of the “Russia 1” show.
AfD politician Kotre defends speech on Russian state television
Now the member of the Bundestag from the AfD has defended his appearance on the talk show. He tweeted on Friday (February 3) that he would be interviewing everyone and also speaking to Foreign Minister Annalena Burbok, who is said to have declared war on Russia. “I say, despite war, diplomacy, and communication, use all channels.” In March 2022, about a month after the start of the war, Steffen Kotre said in a speech to the Bundestag that the attack, which violated international law, had caused much suffering, but that Western complicity should also be taken into account.
The leader of AfD, Tino Chrupalla, initially did not evaluate the process in terms of content. “Each elected member of parliament decides for himself and is primarily responsible for conducting the interview,” he told the German Press Agency (dpa), when asked if the turnout was agreed with him or with the parliamentary group and the party.
