Two pro-Russian influence actors who helped the Russian army and eventually moved to Russia say they are no longer allowed to enter Germany. The ban on pro-Russian propagandists in Germany, Elena Kolbasnikova and Max Schlund, was reported by NTV.
The couple received a letter from the Cologne city administration stating that they are banned from entering Germany for 20 years, pro-Russian activist Elena Kolbasnikova said in a video posted on Telegram.
The letter states that Kolbasnikova and her partner Max Schlund pose a threat to German security.
The couple has been organizing pro-Kremlin demonstrations in Germany since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine to support Russia.
An investigation published last year identified them as key figures in pro-Moscow influence campaigns in Germany and showed that they received financial support from the Russian government.
German prosecutors raided the couple’s home in northwest Germany in August of last year following a Reuters report alleging the use of funds raised from German supporters to purchase radios, headphones, and phones for a Russian army unit fighting in Ukraine.
The Reuters investigation also disclosed that Kolbasnikova and Schlund had received financial aid from a Russian government agency.
In September 2022, nearly 2,000 mostly Russian-speaking protesters marched in Cologne to demand Germany stop supporting Ukraine and lift sanctions it imposed on Russia after Putin’s troops invaded Ukraine. Organisers collected donations for Russian-backed armed groups in Donbas.
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These gatherings were organized by members of the local Russian-speaking community, Pamyat activists, and spouses Elena Kolbasnikova and Maxim Schlund, along with other pro-Russian rallies. Kolbasnikova, who used to be employed in home healthcare, was fired when they tried to justify Russia’s war against Ukraine.
In October 2022, Tsargrad TV, a Russian nationalist and imperialist media outlet now under EU sanctions, broadcast a report about the couple providing aid to civilians and DNR and LNR fighters in the Donbas.
Russian propaganda told its viewers how the “Russian Germans” traveled to eastern Ukraine, occupied by Russia. The federal organization Rossotrudnichestvo, in charge of connections with Russian citizens abroad, also shared the video of Kolbasnikova and her companions gathering humanitarian aid for the people of Donbas on social media.
Around 3 million people of Russian descent reside in Germany, and many of them are heavily exposed to Kremlin narratives because they watch state-controlled Russian television and read widely available Russian news websites.
In June, the couple announced through their lawyer that they had moved to Russia. According to their lawyer Markus Beisicht, they moved to the Russian city of Kaliningrad. In a post on their joint Telegram channel in early June, Schlund and Kolbasnikova celebrated their relocation to Russia.
The couple lost jobs, were evicted from their apartment and were subject to several criminal investigations in Germany. Cologne prosecutors and the city administration have not yet commented on the case.
Moscow has a history of undermining social movements and political stances in European countries, particularly those hostile to Kremlin policy. The new aspect is that today’s emphasis has shifted toward new far-right and extremist organizations. In contrast, during the Soviet era, the focus was primarily on communism.
Using its agents of influence and friendly media outlets, the Kremlin tries to undermine the EU’s support for Ukraine. However, the German government’s zero tolerance for pro-Russian war propaganda and militants annihilates their influence in the country.
