Overview
- During a heated special debate, SPD and CDU/CSU accused the AfD of serving Russian interests and using parliamentary questions to obtain sensitive security information, accusations the AfD rejected as a political stunt.
- Defense committee chair Thomas Röwekamp warned of a systematic pattern of highly detailed AfD inquiries on Bundeswehr capabilities and critical infrastructure, with reports that senior military and ministry officials are alarmed.
- Internal documents and broadcaster reports show AfD MPs Steffen Kotré and Rainer Rothfuß have approved and budgeted trips to Sochi for mid-November, and additional reporting indicates a planned appearance with Dmitry Medvedev, which Rothfuß confirmed.
- A Berlin administrative court recently upheld the refusal of a personalized Bundestag pass for an AfD aide over Russian contacts, citing tangible risks to the parliament’s functioning.
- Calls to tighten handling of sensitive answers—including classifying certain responses—grew as figures like Ilse Aigner urged restrictions, Greens warned against curbing opposition rights, and Thüringen’s Georg Maier renewed his spying concerns.