Secret EU Files at Risk: AfD’s Russia Alignment Raises Alarm Among European Diplomats

Access by Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany party to thousands of restricted EU documents has sparked serious concern among European diplomats and lawmakers about potential information leaks to Moscow.

The alarm centres on EuDoX, a Bundestag-managed database that gives all German MPs and their assistants access to roughly 25,000 restricted EU documents annually — from briefing notes at ministerial summits to summaries of confidential ambassadorial meetings where member states coordinate positions on issues such as financing Ukraine with frozen Russian assets. Unlike other EU national parliaments, Germany grants this access to all parliamentarians without exception, meaning AfD members are included by default, Big News Network reports, citing a Politico investigation.

“The problem is that we have a party, the AfD, of which there are justified suspicions of information leaking to China or Russia,” Greens lawmaker Anton Hofreiter, chair of the Bundestag EU Affairs Committee, told Politico. The concern is already shaping how sensitive discussions are conducted — diplomats say they are increasingly cautious in forums involving all 27 EU member states.

“We’re taking all kinds of precautions in Brussels to protect sensitive meetings and information,” one senior EU diplomat said. But the access AfD MPs have to confidential materials “leaves a giant, Putin-shaped hole in our security measures”.

A Pattern of Kremlin Proximity

The worry is not abstract. Critics point to a consistent pattern: AfD members have taken trips to Moscow, regularly adopted Russian propaganda narratives in parliament, and maintained contacts with the Russian embassy. Centrist MPs, including Roland Theis, from Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s conservative bloc, described the party’s handling of sensitive data as worrying. Johannes Schraps, a senior SPD lawmaker on the Bundestag’s EU Affairs Committee, said concern over the AfD’s approach to confidential information “stems from a broader trend”.

The documents at stake are not trivial. Centrist MPs warn that AfD access could expose information about Western arms shipments to Ukraine, local drone defence systems, and intelligence on Russian hybrid operations in the Baltic Sea region.

Previous allegations suggested the party used parliamentary enquiries to systematically collect information of potential interest to the Kremlin — claims the leadership denies. Earlier in 2025, a former aide to AfD MEP Maximilian Krah was convicted of spying for China. In response, the Bundestag administration moved to restrict certain AfD staff members’ access to parliamentary buildings and IT systems.

The AfD denies passing any information to foreign powers, calling such allegations “baseless”. The party’s pro-Kremlin position, however, is well-documented. As Insight News Media previously reported, Kremlin funding was channelled into AfD-linked activity aimed specifically at blocking military aid to Ukraine — with Moscow coordinating directly with party representatives and providing both political narrative and financial support.

The Hungarian Factor

Separate but related concerns have emerged around Hungary. Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó initially dismissed as “fake news” reports that he regularly briefed Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on internal EU discussions — then confirmed the contacts were real. He described them as routine diplomacy, saying no classified ministerial secrets were exchanged and that ministers routinely bring phones into meetings.

The Washington Post reported that Szijjártó provided Lavrov with “live reports on what was being discussed” at EU meetings, including on potential decisions — effectively giving Moscow a seat at the table during closed-door deliberations for years. Since February 2022, Szijjártó has visited Moscow sixteen times, including a meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin on March 4. Hungary continues to import significant volumes of Russian fossil fuels despite EU efforts to reduce dependence.

EU diplomats named both Budapest and Berlin as factors undermining collective security. “Whether it’s because of Orbán or because of the German system — we don’t freely share all information as you would among your closest confidants in a setting with 27 member states around the table,” one diplomat said.

The issue is acutely sensitive ahead of Hungary’s parliamentary elections on April 12, where Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz faces a strong challenge from opposition leader Péter Magyar. The opposition Tisza party has pledged that if it wins, it will immediately investigate Szijjártó’s ties with Russia. As Insight News Media has reported, Russian intelligence operatives have allegedly been deployed in Budapest ahead of the vote — a claim Russia denies — while a broader Russian disinformation campaign has been targeting Magyar and the democratic opposition in recent months.