A German military officer with ties to the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has confessed to providing information to a Russian intelligence service. He was driven by fear of a nuclear escalation of the Ukraine war, the 54-year-old testified at the first day of his trial before the Dusseldorf Higher Regional Court on Monday. The defendant, who holds the rank of captain, had worked at the Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw).
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen mocked the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party's European parliamentary election campaign launch, which has been overshadowed by spying scandals and suspicions of foreign influence-buying. The AfD's lead candidate, Maximilian Krah, sat out the campaign launch event on Saturday, less than a week after a top aide to Krah was arrested on allegations of spying for China. Krah himself is currently the subject of a preliminary investigation
German media reports about the decline in popularity of the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) opposition party are exaggerated and, together with spy allegations brought against its officials, are part of a discrediting campaign allegedly launched by the ruling government, AfD politician Eugene Schmidt told Sputnik.
A poll released just two weeks ago showed the Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU) as the most favorable party with 31% of prospective voters indicating that they would vote for them. However, the Alternative for Germany (AfD) came in second place with 18% according to the Statista poll.