AfD Delegation Courts โrussia at Pro-Kremlin Conference in Sochi,โ Echoing Pro-Putin Sentiment
Sochi, โRussia – Atโฃ least three members of the German far-right party Option fรผr Deutschland (AfD) are currently attending the โ”Bricsโข Europe” conference in โฃSochi, โฃRussia, a gathering organizedโค by โentities with close โฃties to the Kremlin. The delegation – comprised of Bundestag member Steffen Kotrรฉ, โEuropean Parliamentโค member hans Neuhoff,โ and Jรถrg Urban, leader of the AfD in Saxony – represents the highest-ranking AfD presence โขin Russia asโข the start of the war in Ukraine, funded by German taxpayers.
The “Brics Europe” conference, despite its name, is not affiliatedโ with the โofficial BRICSโ economic association. โIt is hosted by the Russian Academy of Sciences and a pro-Russian association whose leader participated in a 2022 election observation mission in the โขRussian-occupied Donbass region of Ukraine, offering validation of โขthe widely criticized referendums aimed at legitimizing Russian annexation.
The conference attracts individuals sympatheticโข to Russia and critical of the west. AfD politicians Kotrรฉ,Neuhoff,and Urban are knownโค for their pro-Putin views and are utilizing the platform to openly express them.
On โSaturday, Jรถrg Urban delivered a speech in German, translated โintoโข Russian, focusing onโ the economic impact of reduced Russianโ energy importsโ on Saxony. “The abandonment of Russianโ energy raw materials has meant that energy has become so expensive that many โSaxon companies are closing their doorsโฃ or moving abroad,” Urban stated. โขHe further noted a one billion euro annual decline in Saxon โexports to Russia,callingโฃ it โค”very,very much money” for the region.
Urban signaled a desire for renewedโ cooperation, stating, “We wontโ to sendโ the signal in Sochi: There are political forces in Germany that wantโ cooperation with Russiaโ and all countries in the worldโฆ These forces are getting stronger.” He expressed โฃanticipation for “the outstretchedโ hand” and “collaboration in similar formats.”
The โคAfD’s participation in the โคconference is drawing scrutiny as potential fodder for kremlin propaganda,โ reinforcing narratives critical of Western policies and portraying support forโ Russia within Germany.
