Communist nostalgia fuels the far right’s rise in eastern Germany

Ralf Kiesewetter says Ukrainians should be grateful to Vladimir Putin for starting the war in 2022. The 61-year-old German plans to vote for the far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD, because he hopes Germany will restore closer relations with Russia.

“Every Ukrainian citizen should be grateful to the Russians for starting the war in 2022. People in western Ukraine have been trying for years to reach the European Union. Now they have that opportunity,” Kiesewetter told The Telegraph.

His view could be associated with Russian propaganda, but the article presents it as part of a broader political shift in eastern Germany. Opposition to immigration, nostalgia for the former communist East Germany and a pro-Moscow line have become important elements of the AfD’s message.

In Saxony-Anhalt, one of Germany’s 16 states, the AfD has a substantial polling lead. The party stands at about 40%, while the Christian Democratic Union, the party of Chancellor Friedrich Merz, has roughly 23%. A victory would mark a major first for Germany’s far right since World War II.

Germany’s domestic intelligence services have classified the AfD as a far-right organization, a decision the party is challenging in court. If it wins a majority in the state parliament, the AfD could form its first regional government without a coalition partner. Such a government would control important areas including education, policing, asylum policy and some regional intelligence responsibilities.

The party promises large-scale deportations, restrictions on LGBT symbols, separate schooling for German children and refugee children, and closer relations with Moscow. Even without a majority, it sees the election as an important stage in its wider aim of winning federal power.

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Every Ukrainian citizen should be grateful to the Russians for starting the war in 2022. People in western Ukraine have been trying for years to reach the European Union. Now they have that opportunity.