Overview

• Birgit Bessin took more than 40 people from Elbe-Elster and Oberspreewald‑Lausitz to the Russian Embassy on September 11, sharing the visit on Instagram.
• The trip was part of the Bundestag visitor program run by the Bundespresseamt, which covers travel, lodging and some meals for up to three groups per MP each year.
• CDU lawmaker Knut Abraham condemned the embassy stop as a deliberate act supporting a wartime aggressor and called it deeply unpatriotic.
• The Bundespresseamt said MPs decide private appointments outside official program items, and after an app entry error it is reviewing how such external stops are labeled, with no indication of sanctions.
• The Russian Embassy declined details citing privacy but said it regularly welcomes guests of varied ages and political views.