German far-right hit by accusations of Russia ties

Petr Bystron, a senior member of Germany’s far-right AfD party and a top contender for a seat in the European Parliament after June’s elections, has been accused of receiving money from Russia, with his own party leaders now calling on him to clarify the allegations.

On Tuesday, the Czech newspaper Denik N published a report that Bystron was suspected by Czech intelligence of having been in contact with the pro-Russian Voice of Europe network, which is seen as part of the Kremlin’s attempts to spread disinformation in the EU. According to Czech intelligence, he also received money from pro-Russian sources.

The accusations also made waves within the AfD as party leaders Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla demanded a written explanation from Bystron in a letter on Wednesday.

The letter, seen by public broadcaster ARD, states that Bystron has until 2 pm on Thursday to respond to the allegations in a statement.

Bystron is considered to be one of the most Russia-friendly politicians within the AfD, which itself fiercely opposes sanctions against Russia and argues against supplying arms to Ukraine.

But Bystrom went a step further, comparing the delivery of German tanks to Ukraine to the war waged by Nazi Germany against the Soviet Union. “German tanks against Russia in Ukraine – remember, your grandfathers tried to do the same trick,” he said during a parliamentary debate.

Besides acting as his party’s foreign policy spokesman, Bystron is also a candidate in the EU elections and has managed to secure second place on the list – virtually guaranteeing his entry into the European Parliament after the next elections in June.

The AfD is currently polling at around 19.5%, just behind the conservative CDU and 5% ahead of the ruling Social Democrats.

(Oliver Noyan | Euractiv.de)

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