Russia is actively conducting a disinformation campaign to support Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
According to United24 Media, the campaign aims to sow discord among mainstream political factions and exacerbate economic anxieties ahead of the February 23 election.
This information was also confirmed by the German think tank CeMAS in a report released on January 19.
Disinformation Patterns and Tactics
CeMAS identified hundreds of German-language posts on X that mirror tactics used in Russia's Doppelganger disinformation campaign.
Originally launched after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the campaign has been widely condemned by German, US, and French authorities for attempting to undermine Western solidarity with Kyiv.
These posts criticize Germany’s Green Party for alleged economic failures, attack Chancellor Olaf Scholz for his support of Ukraine, and seek to discredit the conservative bloc. Some posts link to fake German news sites or selectively framed genuine articles to mislead readers.
Amplified by fake accounts, these posts have garnered over 2.8 million views, according to CeMAS.
The German Foreign Ministry has previously addressed Russia’s use of fake Western news outlets to disseminate disinformation.
Moscow has denied involvement in such operations.
Electoral Implications
With opposition conservatives expected to lead the election, the AfD — currently polling in second place — could gain substantial influence. Securing a blocking minority would enable the AfD to complicate coalition-building, potentially destabilizing governance in Germany.
The AfD’s rise has also been fueled by endorsements from prominent figures, including X owner Elon Musk. Musk publicly endorsed the AfD in December and recently hosted a live discussion with the party’s chancellor candidate, Alice Weidel.
A recent INSA poll shows the conservatives at 29%, the AfD at 21% — double its 2021 performance — while Scholz’s Social Democrats trail at 16%, with the Greens at 13%.
Germany’s domestic intelligence agency (BfV) has established a task force to combat foreign interference in the election. In a November statement, the BfV warned of heightened “aggressive behavior” from Moscow targeting Germany and other Ukraine-supporting nations.
As Ukraine’s second-largest provider of financial and military aid, Germany remains a key target for Russian efforts to weaken Western unity.
Broader Disinformation Efforts
Russian outlets, including TASS, recently claimed that a Danish F-16 instructor was killed in Ukraine during a missile strike — a report promptly refuted by the Danish Ministry of Defense as disinformation.
