Key facts
- The far-right AfD party is showing strong support in eastern Germany ahead of regional elections in Saxony-Anhalt.
- The AfD advocates for ending German support for Ukraine and resuming energy ties with Russia.
- Historical familiarity with Soviet troops in former East Germany influences current attitudes toward Russia.
- Many East Germans feel overlooked by the Berlin government and seek economic stability through detente with Russia.
- Opponents accuse the AfD of being too close to Moscow and potentially favoring Russian President Vladimir Putin.
A political fault line concerning attitudes toward Russia has resurfaced in eastern Germany as regional elections in Saxony-Anhalt approach. For many in the region, decades of living alongside Soviet troops have fostered a sense of familiarity and a desire for detente with Russia, contrasting with the current German government's stance, which has accused Moscow of espionage and attacks on infrastructure.
Opinion polls indicate that the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, an anti-immigrant group with significant support in the east, could potentially win power at the state level for the first time. The AfD has consistently called for an end to German support for Ukraine and a resumption of energy agreements with Moscow, which provided Germany with cheap oil and gas before supplies were cut in 2022. The party's platform emphasizes maintaining good economic and cultural relations with Russia, stating that the current anti-Russian policy is not in Germany's interests.
This stance by the AfD has led Chancellor Friedrich Merz's coalition to accuse the party of favoring Russian President Vladimir Putin and engaging in hybrid warfare against Germany. In response to perceived threats from Moscow, the German government has recently increased defense spending. For residents like Rainer Huppenbauer, a wine merchant in Naumburg, the issue is not about being pro-Russian but about avoiding a political narrative that constantly emphasizes the danger posed by Russia. He believes that people in the former German Democratic Republic (GDR) learned to coexist with Russians, which is preferable to constant confrontation.
Silke Satjukow, a professor of modern history, suggests that the AfD's appeal in eastern Germany stems from a historical context unfamiliar to the West, where the Soviet Union was consistently portrayed as 'the Friend.' Naumburg Mayor Armin Mueller noted the significant presence of Russian soldiers in the area during the GDR era. Stefan Zimmerer, a local resident, expressed frustration with East Germans being labeled as Putin's friends or ungrateful voters simply for voicing local concerns or feeling that national politics has ignored their issues. He highlighted the economic devastation following reunification, with employment numbers drastically cut and East Germans possessing significantly less wealth than their West German counterparts.
Amid current crises, many East Germans lack trust in the Berlin government to safeguard their hard-won prosperity and prefer a policy of detente with Russia, hoping to regain access to affordable energy. This sentiment fuels support for parties like the AfD that promise such policies.