Germany’s AfD sparks fears it is helping Russia with inquiry on NATO weaknesses

BERLIN — The far-right opposition Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has triggered security fears in Berlin after officially requesting information on vulnerabilities in NATO defenses — insight that would prove useful to the Kremlin.

The AfD, which frequently takes positions favorable to Russia, has developed an interest in last year’s “Hedgehog 2025” exercise, a major NATO operation in Estonia, in which Ukrainian drone specialists used tactics learned on the battlefield to “destroy” NATO units in a war game.

In a letter obtained by POLITICO, Rüdiger Lucassen, the AfD’s defense spokesperson, asked the government on Feb. 19 to brief the defense committee in the country’s parliament on the lessons learned from the drill.

“What capability gaps were identified — particularly in the areas of counter-drone defense, electronic warfare, command capability and the protection of mobile forces?” Lucassen asked in the letter. He also sought clarification on “which capability gaps still exist and by when they are to be closed.”

It’s hardly the first time the AfD has raised concerns with inquiries that would elicit information of interest to Russia, and the country’s ruling coalition has sounded the alarm.

“With some of the AfD’s motions and questions, the question increasingly arises as to what purpose they actually serve, and whose interests are being pursued,” Florian Dorn, a defense committee lawmaker for the country’s ruling Christian Democratic bloc, told POLITICO, when asked about the Hedgehog 2025 inquiry. “If such information falls into the wrong hands, it endangers our security and defense capability.”

Under Germany’s political system, opposition parties have significant powers to demand answers from the government. Ministries can withhold classified material, but must generally respond to formal inquiries.

Assessments of military exercises do more than describe what went wrong. They can reveal how exposed certain units were, how quickly they were neutralized, and how long it may take to fix any problems identified.

European security officials assume that Russia and other adversaries mine publicly available material to piece together operational patterns. In drone warfare especially — where tactics evolve rapidly and adaptation cycles are short — knowing how long weaknesses may persist can offer strategic advantages.

Thomas Erndl, the Christian Democrats’ defense policy spokesperson, also warned of the risks involved, including “the danger that security-relevant information could end up in the wrong hands.” He added that ministries have become accustomed to weighing such risks when drafting their responses to parliamentary inquiries.

A senior NATO military official told POLITICO the inquiry hasn’t prompted any “dire concern” within the alliance, but added that NATO members “always want to be careful about the information that gets out publicly.”

The controversy over Hedgehog 2025 follows earlier disputes in which AfD lawmakers submitted detailed questions about military transport routes, infrastructure protection and security systems. 

Last year, the interior minister of the eastern German state of Thuringia, Georg Maier, accused the AfD of using parliamentary questions to “systematically scout critical infrastructure,” alleging in an interview with Handelsblatt that the party was effectively working its way through what he described as a “Kremlin task list.” 

According to reporting by the German newspaper Welt, the state interior ministry compiled a list of 58 AfD inquiries since October 2024 that it said focused on sensitive infrastructure, including police IT systems, drone-defense capabilities, military transport routes, energy networks, water supply and civil protection.

Lucassen rejected the suggestion the party had ulterior motives, calling his request a routine instrument of parliamentary oversight.

In an e-mail to POLITICO, he said lawmakers have to rely on official military assessments rather than media reporting in order to support the armed forces through legislation and budget decisions.

Victor Jack contributed reporting.