The secret weapon of the AfD party – Russian Germans are changing their political allegiance
The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is experiencing a growing political rise, especially among the Germans of Russian descent – the ethnic Germans who were resettled from the former Soviet Union and their children. After traditionally being among the staunchest supporters of the conservative CDU/CSU bloc, they have now become one of the most loyal groups to the AfD party.
According to a recent study conducted by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, about 31% of Russian Germans will vote for the AfD party, a percentage that far exceeds the average of 19% among voters with immigrant backgrounds. Estimates from the DeZIM research center indicate that arrivals from the former Soviet Union countries make up about 12.4% of the total voters with immigrant backgrounds in Germany, which is approximately 900,000 people.
This support is particularly evident in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), where the AfD party tripled its vote count in the municipal elections held in September. Most notably, it won in the integration council elections – advisory bodies representing the interests of migrants – where the party received 24.5% of the votes in Paderborn, 27.9% in Detmold, and 26.2% in Bottrop. This means that many citizens of migrant origin voted for a party known for its anti-immigration stance and calls for what it calls 'repatriation,' a far-right term that includes the deportation of non-citizens and even some citizens of migrant origin.
Political scientist Andreas Fost from Munich University of Applied Sciences explained that this trend is stronger in areas with a large number of Russian Germans. This shift began around 2015 and 2016, when Germany welcomed hundreds of thousands of refugees from Syria and Afghanistan. With the CDU/CSU policies allowing the influx of refugees, many Russian Germans began to lose faith in traditional parties and turned towards the AfD party, which adopts a more hardline stance on national identity and German nationality.
Unlike most German parties, the AfD party takes a friendly stance towards Russia. Co-leader Alice Weidel refrained from condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine and even promised to rebuild the Nord Stream gas pipelines that were blown up. This pro-Kremlin stance seems to have helped the party gain support from Russian-speaking voters, many of whom still feel a strong cultural and emotional connection to Russia.
To strengthen its influence, the AfD party intensified its efforts to attract voters of Russian descent, distributing election programs in Russian and previously appointing MP Eugene Schmidt as commissioner for Russian Germans in the German parliament. According to Fost, this strategy has been effective: 'When people are communicated with directly, they feel heard – and they respond quickly.'
The rise of the AfD party among Russian Germans reflects how cultural identity, historical roots, and political frustration can redraw the political map in Germany – group by group.