Most Germans believe that AfD is strongly influenced by Russia and China

In Germany, a majority of people notice a strong influence on the far-right Alternative for Germany party from Russia and China. The German newspaper Bild reported this, citing a survey by the INSA Institute for Public Opinion Research.

The survey showed that almost every second German believes that Russia and China have a “very big” or “quite big” influence on the AfD, with 26% of supporters of the far-right political party convinced of this.

In addition, an overwhelming majority (58%) believe that the AfD is not a patriotic party in the sense that it cares about the welfare of Germany.

The survey also asked who a supporter of the far-right political party would vote for instead of the AfD.

For 22% of respondents, Sarah Wagenknecht’s new party could be an alternative. For 21% of AfD supporters, the CDU/CSU is an alternative. For none of the surveyed AfD voters, the Greens are an alternative.

There is no alternative for the other 20%.

Early in May, 1003 German citizens participated in the INSA poll.

Earlier, the German Social Democratic Party was ahead of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) in the poll for the first time since June 2023, amid the scandals that have accompanied the far right in recent weeks.

In recent weeks, several high-profile cases of espionage for China and influence peddling in favor of Russia have implicated Alternative for Germany.

Last week, in Dresden, police arrested German citizen Jian G., who works as an assistant for AfD member of the European Parliament Maximilian Krah in the European Parliament.

A close adviser to a leading member of the far-right populist AfD party was accused of “an especially severe instance” of espionage, prosecutors said. This event came after the arrests of three German citizens accused of industrial spying for China in return for payment.

In April, Belgium opened a criminal investigation into possible Russian interference in the elections after the Czech government said it had uncovered a Russian network that tried to influence politics, including payments to European politicians.

Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said that investigators found that Russian groups are meddling in the EU election to promote pro-Russian candidates and thus weaken European support for Ukraine against Russia’s war aggression.

This network included the pro-Russian platform Voice of Europe. The involved politicians, suspected of promoting pro-Russian propaganda, include Petr Bystron and Maximillian Krah, leading members of the Alternative for Germany party.

Voice of Europe has hosted debates and conferences, as well as published columns by European politicians and produced interviews with MEPs, targeting European legislators from the far-right parties Alternative for Germany, Marine Le Pen’s National Rally, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party, and the Italian League, among others, in the context of the upcoming elections.

Following the Czech and Belgian authorities statements about Russia’s attempts to bribe MEPs to promote its propaganda through the Voice of Europe website, researchers found which European politicians were promoted by this website.

The list includes politicians known for pushing pro-Kremlin agendas and making pro-Russian statements, such as German far-right leader Maximilian Krah, French nationalist Thierry Mariani, Slovak right radical Milan Uhrík, and the radical leader of Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik.

In the Voice of Europe case we have seen that Moscow attempts using EU-registered news websites disguised as neutral or alternative to legitimize Russian propaganda narratives and increase the credibility of its statements, as almost no one in the world believes Russian state propaganda outlets like RT and Sputnik anymore.

The Voice of Europe’s articles are focused on negative coverage of Ukraine, the EU, and European leadership. They probably target fueling tensions, unrest in Europe, and anti-EU sentiment. The website also politely highlights Russia and criticizes the Western sanctions against the Kremlin, and the military aid to Ukraine.