The German Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD).Image: keystone
If the AfD joins the government, the defense minister fears that information will be passed on to Russia. He wants to prevent this.
Jul 5, 2026, 3:09 amJul 5, 2026, 3:09 am
Thomas Wanhoff / t-online
Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) wants to prevent the AfD from obtaining secret information if it participates in the government. He justifies this with the party’s proximity to Russia. “The proximity to Putin cannot be overlooked. There is also the assumption that there is money from Russia,” he told “Bild am Sonntag” when asked whether there were consequences for Bundeswehr locations in AfD-governed countries.
The SPD politician emphasized that sensitive information should not fall into the wrong hands. “We are working intensively on the question of who we can give access to classified information. We’re already doing that now. We are obliged to do this because it is about the security of our country.”
Several Bundeswehr locations in Saxony-Anhalt
There are several Bundeswehr locations in Saxony-Anhalt, but they are under the administration of the Federal Ministry of Defense. There are military training areas in the Altmark and Möckern, barracks in Blankenburg, Burg, Gardelegen, Weissenfels and Havelberg and the Saxony-Anhalt state command in Magdeburg.
The AfD could win the state elections in Saxony-Anhalt in September and become prime minister. This would mean that the party would also be represented in the Federal Council. Members of the Federal Council can obtain knowledge of classified federal information “to the extent that it is necessary to fulfill their tasks and exercise their powers in the Federal Council,” according to the Federal Council’s Secret Protection Regulations. In the event of a defense, the Joint Committee, which also includes representatives of the state governments, meets. Each state government appoints one of its members to be a member of this committee.