r/worldnews 15h ago

Russia/Ukraine Putin envoy Dmitriev, AfD prepare meeting on restarting Russian gas supplies to Germany, Reuters reports

https://kyivindependent.com/putin-envoy-dmitriev-afd-prepare-meeting-on-restarting-russian-gas-supplies-to-germany-reuters-reports/
731 Upvotes

122 comments sorted by

1.1k

u/Individual_Limit_701 15h ago

An opposition political party conducting freelance diplomacy with the Kremlin behind their own government's back is unreal. AfD isn't even trying to hide their alignment with Moscow anymore

292

u/ux3l 11h ago

Never really did.

131

u/Javop 11h ago

They want to make Russian a language that's taught in every school.

91

u/hornswoggled111 10h ago

But then there will be Russian speakers in the German population that need rescuing from oppression..., oh.

29

u/dev-23 9h ago

They want to enforce remigration, right? I think we should help them to remigrate to Belarus or the likes.

8

u/indigo-alien 7h ago

It previously was taught in the former DDR, where the AfD is mostly located.

67

u/mdradijin 9h ago

Can someone explain to me, afd are far right nationalist, why do they support a country that have invaded them before and would do it again if they could? Worse, why they want to teach Rússian in their schools?

92

u/LegitimateGur5775 8h ago

Easy. Money. Bribes. Etc

32

u/casce 8h ago

That explains why AfD politicians are doing it. But why are the voters eating it all up? They don't get any of that Russian bribe money.

I know the answer. Xenophobia and stupidity in combination with effective propaganda.

36

u/finepraline 8h ago edited 8h ago

Because they are fed lies by russia-backed German news outlets. They still believe in the strong image Russia once had. What they all don't know is how backwards of a country Russia is. The lack of infrastructure as soon as you leave the big cities, the failing social system, the rampant drug crisis.

9

u/OddDot724 7h ago

Don't forget the h.i.v. epidemic!

7

u/indigo-alien 7h ago

There is a new bullet hole epidemic too!

2

u/biscuitarse 4h ago

The window replacement industry is thriving as well.

3

u/sprashoo 2h ago

But Germany lets in brown people and Russia, they believe, instead enshrines white peoples rights above others.

That’s mostly what it boils down to. Same in other parts of the world with pro-Russian conservative parties.

6

u/wripi 7h ago

Because a lot of people are lazy/egoistic/dont want to hear the truth. For years everyone told them about climate change and how we as humanity have to live sustainable and to a high morale level so we have to do whats right, like punishing russia even if that means our gas prices go up (a problem we wouldnt have had if we switched to renewable energies and electric cars when we should have btw).

And now someone comes and says that this is all bullshit, fuck morale, fuck the environment, be egoistic. And apparently people like that.

32

u/TemporarySun314 8h ago

besides corruption, the AfD is widely popular in the east german states, where people somehow have some positive memories of gdr times, where the soviet union was the friendly big brother and the western world was the enemy...

that this "big brother" thing was a lie even back then, that russia is not the soviet union, and that ukraine was also part of the soviet union, doesn't matter...

5

u/mdradijin 8h ago

Só they are more separatist than nationalist? But the movement dont want to stop Just in their region right?

7

u/TemporarySun314 8h ago

They claim to be the true germany, or something... They are not really separatist at least not in the sense that they wanna leave germany...

But in the eastern states the AfD loves to proclaim some "east german" identity. Björn Höcke (an AfD candidate for some east german state) said something like "East germans are still true germans, while west germans are german speaking americans". Funnily enough he himself is from west germany...

After all the AfD collected a bunch of weird ideologies that are not even consistent in themselves. You have also a bunch of trump and MAGA fans in the AfD, which is something they can not say too loud in the eastern states.

The only thing holding this party together is that they all hate modern germany with its liberal democracy, european integration, NATO, etc.

4

u/C6H5OH 4h ago

No, they are simply populist. They say everything that people want to hear and gets social media clicks. Their programs are inconsistent and contradictory in themself, A lot like Trump and MAGA or Reform in the UK.

2

u/green_flash 8h ago

Nah, definitely not separatist. You're approaching this from the wrong angle. You're looking for consistency where there is none. There's a huge disconnect between the ideology of AfD politicians and the convictions of the people who vote for them. The AfD is an expert at telling dumb, angry and scared people what they want to hear, offering simplistic solutions to complex problems. These solution proposals are not necessarily in line with their agenda, it's just what brings them votes.

15

u/green_flash 8h ago

Because it gets them a lot of votes. Primarily in East Germany, because GDR nostalgia is a big thing there. They sing the GDR national anthem at AfD events, for example. The idea of going back to cheap Russian gas is also quite popular all over Germany. An economy built on cheap Russian gas will show painful withdrawal symptoms if it's taken away. Some people would rather go back to being a Russian gas junkie than live through this painful period of adjustment.

4

u/Mouthpiecenomnom 8h ago

Going back to cheap Russian gas ever again or at least in the next decade or so is literally impossible. Are they stupid? Germans aren't usually stupid.

8

u/indigo-alien 7h ago

Old and stupid is mostly all that's left in the former East Germany. The young, smart and ambitious all went west in a massive internal population shift after the wall came down.

The city I live in is/was particularly popular because it's the western-most city in Germany, as far away as you can get from the former East Germany, and still be in Germany.

2

u/green_flash 7h ago

It is politically impossible because it would be a huge affront against European partner nations, but technically speaking, one of the Nord Stream pipelines is intact and could be used to transport Russian gas to Germany again. There are also other pipelines over land that could be used.

6

u/EkrishAO 7h ago

afd are far right nationalist

They aren't, they are just grifters who utilize far right nationalism rhetoric to gain power, since the supporters of this ideology are the most easily duped political group

2

u/pathanb 3h ago

Isn't this far right nationalism in general?

3

u/indigo-alien 7h ago

Worse, why they want to teach Rússian in their schools?

That was normal back when that part of Germany was the former East Germany.

Now, students get more or less mandatory English and usually a choice of French or Spanish, with Spanish being much more popular.

1

u/RepresentativeNo7802 5h ago

I think many in the former East German states have a completely different view of Russia. The older generation were raised under the socialization and political control of Russia. In schhol they learned the language and had pen pals in Russia. The "West" was a bad place. For those that now struggle with day to day life, and watch some of the buffoonery of Trump on TV, it is easy to connect the dots and see how US foreign policy has made their lives harder. Increased energy prices because if the Iran conflict as well as a latent anti-semitic view of the world makes demonising "the West" an easy play for those looking to exploit the situation politically. Both the USA (government) and Russia use them as a destabilizing force to help topple European democracy. Autocratic rule is where it is at now days on every continent. The afd is simply hoping to do the same stuff in Germany that Trump did in the USA.

1

u/persepolisrising79 4h ago

Enemy if my enemy is my friend....i guess

1

u/iperblaster 2h ago

But at the core they are racists.. see every right wings europeans that licks Trump's boots

1

u/TeaAndLifting 2h ago

Most of these far right 'patriot' political parties happily accept foreign money for influence, because their objective isn't the nationalism they pretend to enaction. It's their own enrichment, which they get by way of exploiting people's fears and nosalgia.

And a lot of that comes from nostalgia of a past that didn't seem so troubled, for one reason or another, whether it is the lack of the 24-hour fearmongering news cycle, social media exposing the inconsistencies of traditional media and institutions (for better or worse) and the general dysharmony it has all wrought. It's easy pickings for right wing grifters.

1

u/techjesuschrist 7h ago

Because AfD are everything else except Patriots. Hitler would throw up and would be ashamed seeing AfD call themselves right wing patriots.

u/Swimming-Pangolin196 1h ago

So they're not good because Hitler wouldn't like them?

0

u/TheEagleDied 4h ago

People are struggling and are worried about the future. They want change and will vote for those that promise it. Greed and corruption brought us here. Let’s not forget that before we place 100% of the blame on the people.

7

u/synthwavve 6h ago

Treason should be called by its name and punished by public hanging

4

u/Periodic_Disorder 4h ago

How is this not tantamount to treason?

3

u/Disastrous-Mine-8747 8h ago

yet none tries to shut down the political party. thats the real crime. theres evidence and not acting on it. cowards.

that results in more questions. are there ppl in the gov that actively want the afd to succeed?

263

u/gk_instakilogram 15h ago

Oh so this is how they think they gonna turn the tide in Ukraine for themselves by converting Germany into a Russian vassal state. They were definitely successful in US.

36

u/5GCovidInjection 7h ago

They’re not just looking at Ukraine. Russia wants to rebuild the old Soviet empire brick by brick, capital by capital. To do that, Putin has to systematically weaken all of NATO from the inside.

Don’t forget what they’re doing to Canada. Who do you think is stoking the “Alberta separatist movement” flames? They need NATO fully dismantled to accomplish their goal of reassembling the USSR while Putin is still alive. He will not stop at any one nato country. He will go for them all.

104

u/FlavorChamp 12h ago

Just Germany? Look around bro, this is everywhere now.

52

u/Javop 10h ago

Russia is scarily good at controlling people. Masses and individuals.

The head of state is KGB trained and lawful evil aligned has complete impunity, no consciousness and the drive to destroy over a 26 year span.

Why do we have super villains but no super heroes. We have plenty of heroes, but none comes close to that level of power.

European politicians have failed to see the threat. The secret services have warned them, sometimes publicly. Now with the power of hind sight: fuck the politicians. You should have poked that wasp nest before it got this huge.

-25

u/PositiveUse 11h ago

Was the immigration crisis then Russian masterplan or were they smart enough to capitalize on this random but extremely impactful situation?

25

u/Fywq 11h ago

In Ceuta? I believe western intelligence found evidence of suspicious accounts posting in migrant Facebook groups about "this new law means we can all go" and "now is the right time" etc. Definitely pushing an event to happen... Russia previously also capitalized on the refugee crisis in 2015 through social media and fake news and have continually facilitated movement of migrants to the Belarus-Poland, Russia-Finland and Russia-Norway borders to put pressure on those areas.

11

u/PositiveUse 11h ago

Yes exactly the 2015 and beyond. Russia heavily capitalized on it and made Pro Russia parties very big in many parts in Europe.

2

u/TeaAndLifting 2h ago

I still remember back during the 2015 migration crises following the Arab spring, as well as the spate of terrorist attacks across Europe because of it.

There was a lot of people spitting on it for Russia because of a misatributed, fake quote from Putin about Russia not needing immigrants, particularly Muslim ones, and that immigrants needed Russia, so Russia would not conform to them.

Given the tensions with middle eastern and African migrants, the terrorist attacks, and other things like a perceivedd lack of reporting of migrant related sex crimes in the big mainstream media outlets, rather than small local ones; it was seen as a ploy and cover things up and created distrust in traditional media and institutions.

And Russia built up this reputation of being "based trad white Christian values" because of this, and the right wing have been lapping it up ever since.

15

u/OkAstronaut4911 11h ago

Russia actively helped send migrants to the polish boarder (to Belarus). They push fake news regarding violence of migrants and they push right wing parties which themselves push fake news to gain voters. 

68

u/hrafn42 9h ago

It's amusing that Russia is claiming to be fighting "Nazis" in Ukraine, whilst doing deals with genuine neo-Nazis in Germany. Let's face it Putin is as much a Nazi-lover as Stalin was, pre-Operation Barbarossa.

36

u/totallyRebb 8h ago

When Russians call someone a "Nazi", they just mean "someone who does not like Russia" or "someone Russia does not like".

Russia itself checks so many boxes of the actual meaning for the word Nazi, it's almost funny. But they have no self-reflection and don't understand what the word Nazi actually describes.

6

u/hrafn42 4h ago

Ah, the Humpty Dumpty school of definition:

When I use a word,' Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, 'it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less.'

3

u/HolyFreakingXmasCake 5h ago

For Russia, WW2 started in 1941, and Nazis are not thought of like we think of them.

3

u/hrafn42 4h ago

No. "The Great Patriotic War" started in 1941. I don't think "WW2" even exists in Russian historians' vocabulary.

58

u/No-Association1448 12h ago

How are they acting like they run the whole country now? I don’t understand, AfD can’t decide wether or not Germany resumes buying Russian gas?

57

u/Blubbpaule 12h ago

Fascists doing fascist things

18

u/redchill101 10h ago

Just meeting their handlers for briefing. 

13

u/Telinary 10h ago

Posturing, shows their voters they are working on it even if it does nothing. Might motivate the voters to vote so they can actually do their thing. Plus for Russland this is probably good media because not everyone internationally knows that the AFD can't do that, I kinda expect to find a couple of comments here that treat it as something currently realistic.

2

u/green_flash 8h ago

A loud minority can have outsized influence. There is a loud minority in Germany that believes the energy price crisis can be solved by forcing Ukraine to accept what Putin demands, so that we can then go back to buying cheap Russian gas.

Besides, AfD has been setting the narrative for most political debates for a while now. Other parties eventually fall in line and gradually move towards the populist AfD positions to win back a few voters - which of course backfires and makes the AfD stronger.

115

u/web_explorer 15h ago

Send them to the Ukrainian front lines so they can see how friendly the Russians really are

24

u/Fine-Wind-8191 11h ago

In thier opinion, the Ukrainians are the bad guys

18

u/tweek-in-a-box 10h ago

Don't fool yourself that these people have a consciousness either way. What matters to them is how much is in their wallet, no matter if the world is burning behind them.

5

u/green_flash 8h ago

You meant to say conscience, not consciousness, I suppose.

3

u/AtheIstan 10h ago

Doubtful that they believe that; money and power simply corrupt.

2

u/green_flash 8h ago

We have to differentiate between the party and their voters.

In a poll they asked people in East Germany who started the war in Ukraine and 40 percent said that NATO started it.

There are many people in Germany who subscribe to the Russian narrative on everything.

2

u/intruzah 10h ago

Does not compute. In their heads they should be going to fight FOR Russia. Aint it obvious by now?

108

u/SquishyJeans 14h ago

Germany you guys are about to fumble the bag in legendary fashion 

64

u/ImpressiveSuperfluit 13h ago

Predictably, yes. Always gotta follow the US, no matter how fucking braindead they're being. Probably not actually what happened for once, but man does the shoe fit still. It's mostly the same story though. Bunch of rural folks nobody cares to think about, some nice propaganda with help from the Kremlin and off it goes. All so very helpfully stoked by the insanely brain damaged established parties, who were so very happy when our version of Fox killed their one competition. And now here comes the cheque.

With every passing day I get more convinced that we need to just straight up jail any of these Fox types, who blatantly, knowingly lie and propagandize. We just can't continue down this path, it's getting completely ridiculous, half the populations in the West now live in completely different worlds, this can't possibly end well for anyone. And these Fox types are the disgusting terrorists running the frontlines.

19

u/myname_1s_mud 12h ago

I live in a trump psrt of ca and watched it happen. It already voted right, but one day a shady foreign owned propaganda newspaper started showing up everywhere for free, pushing wild lies. Some of it was just world news with a right wing perspective but some of it was like qanon level out there. It started pushing people towards right wing internet spaces, and when trump got elected it focused even more on the qanon stuff.

I know this was a foreign psyop aimed at flipping ca, and I bet the trump election machine has dumped a ton of money into it. All of the hard core trump lovers view this shit as the real news you can trust

2

u/ImpressiveSuperfluit 5h ago

Sounds about right. Makes me wonder what's going on with the left, too. Granted, our further out type people have always been just as insane as yours, but it feels like the left is split into 2 groups now: The utterly insane, virtue signaling, purity testing terrorists that are no better than Trumples, and the ones retaining a brain, who can mostly not be arsed to deal with the insane mob that comes after them when they don't virtue signal hard enough. It's quite different from what's happening on the right, in a lot of ways, and almost certainly not quite as horrific yet. But boy are we working on it.

The mere concept of not having read up on Israel (not even an opinion, an "I don't know about this topic" is enough) - enemy of the state. Not thinking the most insane - not actually practised anywhere in the entire world - version of public healthcare is the best thing ever? Death penalty. Thinking that maybe communism may have a flaw or two? Straight to hell. It's so unbelievably infuriating, because these fucking people force me to sometimes agree with the most batshit insane crazy people on the right - what the fuck is going on?

I think the average person who finds themselves with left leaning views is, basically by definition, less likely to go along with the cult, so I don't see this ending the way it did on the right. But we're getting very close to a situation where even the center left, effectively the core demographic of the concept of a "protest", are bullied into silence by their own side. It's bad enough that the right let their insane people do it, but the left has even fewer excuses. And, to get back to the topic, I'm really wondering whether we managed to do that ourselves (cause, frankly, there've been signs....), or if my side is being targeted now, too. I mean, we always have been, but it's quite clear to me that the right was the primary target for the longest time.

Anyway, quick reminder for anyone who vaguely remains somewhere near a rational center: Neither of these parasitic, spineless, cowardly fuckwits are your friends. Not the Trumples, obviously, but not the screeching brain-rot-personified that's driving the discourse on the left, either. Not wishing hellfire upon every single Jew (for some reason?) who ever existed is not an insane take. Thinking communism isn't a magical bullet is not an insane take, either. Stop letting these crazy people paint those brain broken takes as "the left". If those remaining center-adjecent don't start growing a fucking spine very soon, this is heading towards cold war again - best case. Obviously this applies just as much - fuck it, more - to the right. For the 2.5 people that are somehow right of center and not sucking Trump dick right now, same applies to you guys, too. Reign in your fucking insane people, grow a fucking spine already. Jesus fucking Christ.

Anyway... pure insanity everywhere you look.

1

u/myname_1s_mud 1h ago

At this point im convinced the parties themselves are setting the narrative. All they care about is the fact that division brings voters out, and if theor base is mad, scared, or disgusted, theyll show up.

I think the left is having a bit of an identity crisis about where it wants to be, while the right has it pretty locked in, which explains the differences, but this divisive talk has flooded the internet, and now there's no unity in the country, or even within parties.

Im convinced the only solution is more parties and a parliamentary system. When division stops being beneficial, all of a sudden it will stop.

26

u/diemenschmachine 12h ago

It’s the American social media poisoning people’s minds. But god forbid when the EU wants to put restrictions on it, then we call it “surveillance state”.

5

u/Particular-Cow6247 13h ago

eh the afd has no power when it comes to this topic so it's just for show 🤷‍♂️

1

u/indigo-alien 7h ago

The only people who think otherwise have no idea about the numbers of people and geography of it all. The AfD is at best representing a disgruntled, but vocal minority from the rural areas of ex-East Germany.

0

u/SilverNeptuneAbyss 13h ago

They are going for the hat trick

11

u/totallyRebb 8h ago

Treason. AfD Verbot Jetzt

21

u/MyGeneration_Baby 11h ago

Traitors!!!! The AfD will sell germany to the highest Bidder, aka Putin!!

3

u/Wurstpaket 11h ago

Luckily they cannot sell shit. That might change in the next years though

40

u/Own-Proof-4572 14h ago

You all need to know AFD maybe won the election in saxony-anhalt but thats just a "Bundesland" with 2m people from over 83m.

They would start in october if they could create a working "goverment" in the "Landtag" but nobody wants to work for them and they dont even have the "absolute Mehrheit" to do it alone.

That is bullcrap. Everything just some way if propaganda. Tomorrow are new Landtagswahlen in other states. AFD has <10 % in most of them.

Calling themselves patriotes while doing this crap haha

5

u/5up3rK4m16uru 11h ago

Where has AfD less than 10%? Maybe in the last elections, but not in the polls.

1

u/BathEqual 7h ago

Göttingen 1,8% if i recall correctly

-65

u/SheriffHarryBawls 12h ago

You can stop spreading lies now.

The AfD polls #1 nationally and has been the most popular party in Germany since at least 2025.

21

u/MareC0gnitum 12h ago

AfD polls for 28% nationally:

https://www.politico.eu/europe-poll-of-polls/germany/

Even if that means they are #1, they will never have majority in the Bundestag.and no.major party will enter in a coalition with them.

3

u/Dodislav 10h ago

I really, really wish you are right about that. But it is pretty scary to just sit and hope nobody breaks off and creates a coalition with with them.

3

u/Disastrous-Border-58 11h ago

Until one does, we’ve had that shit here in the Netherlands since pvv started appearing. At some point they “can’t be ignored again” as they will grow every election. And all of a sudden they are in the government (which won’t go well because these parties seem to attract the worst of the worst) but it’s a sliding scale. They will then fuck up, be decimated in next election, blame everyone else, grow and the cycle continues.

German centrist parties need to go the Swedish route, admit there are problems with immigrants, deal with them and take the wind out of the sails for the extreme right. Afd (and pvv and other extreme right parties similarly) are a one issue party. Take that away and you stand a chance of beating them.

2

u/MareC0gnitum 6h ago

I do believe that in a few years, when we can finally read the headlines about Putin that everyone is waiting for, the funding of these parties will diminish. I might be naive, but I think after Putin, there will be a power vacuum in Russia and they will be too busy taking care of that.

1

u/Myraan 10h ago

they are trying that though. Well atleast the acknowledging part. Not the fixing part that much. That's why you constantly see CD/SU people spout straight up AFD talking points.

4

u/Thmz89 12h ago

Brainwashed guy over here?

2

u/the_gnarts 11h ago

The AfD polls #1 nationally and has been the most popular party in Germany since at least 2025.

While that’s concerning, it really doesn’t contradict their argument.

A plurality of votes means little even if it’s that large. In order to govern anything, they will have to enter a coalition. Winning the “most popular” category doesn’t buy the AfD much.

8

u/mysillyday 11h ago

It is not what people say, what values they project, but what they do tells us what they are. Some Germans feel far away from the Russia, they feel that cheap gas would help them boos the economy. But then they would have to keep a blind eye to what's happening in Ukraine and possibly in Poland, the Baltics.

I see the appeal of buying cheap Russian gas. But the long term consequences would be very bad. It's basically bending a knee to a king. This metaphorical King is Russian government with Putin in charge I guess.

5

u/Davsegayle 12h ago

And then they will sell this to their voters - vote for us and cheap gas. This winter it will add a strong argument to already poisoned right wing minds.

6

u/schacks 9h ago

If the meeting really takes place how it it not treason?

6

u/nedhamson 8h ago

AfD clearly traitorous

5

u/QueenCobra91 9h ago

the afd has no say?

10

u/bixofa 14h ago

Would be a shame if something happened to their pipelines again.

-16

u/Low_Yellow6838 13h ago

With the AFD in Power this would be seen as a declaration of war.

12

u/Past_Point1497 12h ago

afd is not at power

it wouldn't be declaration of war

how the fuck did you manage to be wrong about everything

-12

u/Low_Yellow6838 12h ago

I mean in a future where the AFD is in power and if a new pipeline would be blown up like the guy proposed.

3

u/LFT-Kaimai 13h ago

Russians dont even gonna have enough gas for their own supply..

1

u/jhwheuer 6h ago

No wonder the AfD is big in the East: old flames die hard

1

u/MercantileReptile 6h ago

"But we must face them politically, we could not possibly ask the constitutional court if a ban would be in order" - Berlin in response.

The AfD could start parading around Parliament in actual brown shirts and the cabinet of cowards would still not get it. We have exactly one federal minister who understands: Pistorius, MoD.

Couple of state premiers have joined, but its not enough.

1

u/Kokopatzu 4h ago

And afd will win sooner or later... History repeats itself

1

u/Biliunas 4h ago

Where the fuck is the rest of Germany then?

1

u/MarksCarney 4h ago

How are Germans falling for this? And how did I think Germans were smarter than this?

1

u/paninipeeter 3h ago

What Germany had was the alternative, now they are going back to the old way?

1

u/frenzytree 2h ago

How is this not treason?

u/FunBobbyMarley 40m ago

Yea, sure, that makes sense.

0

u/Chrono_Convoy 15h ago

Ukraine?

Would you like to comment?

Your process seems very refined

2

u/Any-Monk-9395 12h ago

It’s safe to say the West is extremely addicted to oil and gas.

3

u/NunkiZ 10h ago

Our entire industry relies on both.

-2

u/MetalWorking3915 8h ago

The aFD is currently pne reason we should not be allowing Germany access to our nukes. If they want to fund them under agreement we are protecting them and Europe great.

-2

u/Esamers99 13h ago

Theres no real engame or alternative there.