The far-right AfD party is accused of espionage in favor of Russia, with its parliamentarians asking problematic questions about Germany's critical infrastructures.

The Alternative for Germany (AfD), a rising far-right party, has been accused of espionage in favor of Russia and other authoritarian states. Georg Maier, the interior minister of the state of Thuringia, expressed concern that AfD parliamentarians are abusing parliamentary rights to investigate Germany's critical infrastructures, suggesting that their inquiries may be inspired by the Kremlin.

Deputy Konstantin von Notz emphasized that AfD collaborates with authoritarian states to weaken the country's security. In the last 12 months, AfD has posed 47 questions related to critical infrastructure, and Maier noted a particular interest in defense technologies. AfD spokesperson Ringo Mühlmann dismissed the accusations, calling them absurd and asserting that the party is fulfilling its responsibility to highlight infrastructure issues. Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated that AfD is his main opponent in the context of the upcoming elections.