Overview

• Olga Petersen fled to Russia with her two children in mid-2024 after Hamburg’s youth welfare office raised neglect concerns and she praised Vladimir Putin during a party trip.
• This month the AfD state arbitration court confirmed her expulsion, and her mandates in the Hamburg Bürgerschaft and Harburg district assembly had already been revoked in December 2024.
• In Russia she produced social media videos glorifying the Kremlin’s offensive in Ukraine and has supported herself with lectures as a self-declared “Germany expert.”
• Her children are being educated through online homeschooling after being removed from traditional schools during their stay in Russia.
• Petersen told Zeit she plans to commute between Hamburg and Russia once it is safe, marking her intention to resume life in Germany.