Russia has initiated a disinformation campaign, known as the Doppelgänger operation, to influence Germany’s 23 February chancellor elections in favor of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, according to an investigation by the German think tank CeMAS, as reported by Reuters.
The AfD’s approach towards Ukraine is characterized by a strong anti-military aid stance, advocacy for direct negotiations with Russia, and a critical view of EU integration for Ukraine. Their positions reflect a broader trend of rising far-right populism in Germany that favors closer ties with Russia and skepticism towards traditional Western alliances.
German AfD party refused to condemn Russia for invading Ukraine
The campaign seeks to boost AfD’s standing, erode trust in Germany’s mainstream parties, and fuel public anxiety about economic issues ahead of the elections.
CeMAS tracked hundreds of German-language posts on X over the past month, exhibiting patterns typical of Russian disinformation targeting Western nations. These posts spread false claims, blaming the Green Party for economic challenges and criticizing Chancellor Olaf Scholz for his support of Ukraine while actively promoting AfD.
Many of these posts included links to fake German news websites, which gathered over 2.8 million views in total, the think tank revealed.
Earlier, Tino Chrupalla, co-chair of the AfD, said he believes that Russia won the war against Ukraine.
He also claimed that he sees some of his party members’ proposals to leave the EU as a maximal demand and mentioned the idea of replacing the EU with another “economic community and a community of interests.”
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