Journalists find possible link between German far-right political party and Moscow

A journalistic investigation has revealed communication that may indicate influence from the Kremlin on the activities of some deputies of the far-right Alternative for Germany (Alternative für Deutschland, AfD) political party through the mediation of a proxy in Berlin and its curator in Moscow.

Source: Spiegel and The Insider

The media got access to communications between Volodymyr Serhiienko, a pro-Russian activist and assistant to one of the AfD members in the Bundestag [German federal parliament – ed.], who is often invited to comment on topics related to Germany on Russian propaganda TV channels; and Alexei, his alleged supervisor in Moscow.

The entire array of data indicates that Serhiienko, who lives in Berlin, coordinated the preparation of the party's lawsuit against the supply of German weapons to Ukraine.

Serhiienko explains to Alexei that media and financial assistance will be needed to support the filing of the lawsuit in Germany and that all expenses will amount to approximately EUR 25,000 per month, and writes that he will provide the names of the involved Bundestag deputies in the messages from the correspondence between Serhiienko and Alexei cited by The Insider.

On 2 June, the AfD parliamentary group filed a 2 BvE 5/23 lawsuit with the Federal Constitutional Court, where it stated that tanks and other weapons should not have been delivered to Ukraine without the participation of the Bundestag.

The Insider writes that other documents agreed by the Moscow curator were also found in Serhiienko's possession, such as a letter allegedly to the Pope from Ulrich Oehme, an AfG representative and the current president of the Association for the Defence Against Discrimination and the Exclusion of Russian Germans and Russian-Speaking Fellow Citizens in Germany. Oehme allegedly asked the Pope to pay attention to the "persecution of Christians in Ukraine". The draft was sent to the curator on 12 April, and the appeal was posted two days later.

Several reports indicate that Serhiienko received direct funding from Moscow; there is a message in correspondence with the curator where he asks if it is possible to transfer funds to a German community organisation, and Serhiienko confirms.

On 26 April, Serhiienko informed the curator about the content of AfD MP Harald Weyel's speech at the session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, where he complained about the "persecution of the Ukrainians in the Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate" which was then simultaneously noticed by the Kremlin media. The curator and Serhiienko also mentioned the "Polish issue", but it is unknown what was said.

The investigation states that Serhiienko has been noticed several times at the border with large amounts of cash – EUR 9,000 each time, close to the limit of 10,000, in April and June.

The Insider draws parallels with the alleged funding of the Italian League by the Kremlin: in 2019, journalists wrote that assistants of its leader Matteo Salvini had very short monthly trips to Moscow.

At the request of journalists, Serhiienko explained the strange ways of transferring funds by the fact that direct bank transfers from Russia are impossible, and could not explain what connects him with Alexei from Moscow.

The Insider suggests that Serhiienko may have problems in Germany after this publicity, because the correspondence contained confirmation of his Russian citizenship alongside his original Ukrainian citizenship. In 2022, he managed to obtain German citizenship and, as far as is known, did not disclose to the authorities that he had another passport.

Spiegel, for its part, notes that 52-year-old Serhiienko has long been on the radar of security services, but at the same time, he still has access to the German parliament as an assistant to Bundestag member Eugen Schmidt.

Serhiienko appears to be well acquainted with Ulrich Oehme, a AfD politician in Saxony, and once worked with him when he was a member of the Bundestag.

Spiegel journalists also note that Serhiienko has created a close network of contacts with supporters of the Kremlin in Europe.

At the same time, he keeps in touch with several people loyal to the Kremlin in Russia, including propagandists and deputies of the State Duma.

Earlier, the AfD came in second place with the support of German voters.

The Alternative for Germany political party promises to seek either the dissolution of the EU, or Germany's exit from it during the elections to the European Parliament next year. The party does not support sanctions against Russia and aid for Ukraine.

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