Russia-Ukraine War Splits Germany's Far-Right
Researcher Nicolas Potter points out that right-wing extremists in Germany, such as members of the III. Weg, see Europe as an alliance of white nations, and Ukraine therefore as a nation of white people with a right to self-determination. On top of that, Potter noted that Germany’s far-right has often envied the strength of Ukraine’s far-right movement with its paramilitary organizations.
Then there are far-right’s historic prejudices against Russia. Though Russia is obviously no longer a communist nation, “it’s interesting how anti-communism plays quite a strong role,” Potter said. “It’s almost bizarrely like they’re taking Putin’s propaganda at face value — he says he’s coming to de-nazify Ukraine, and they see him as a sort of left-wing, anti-fascist threat.”
Experts covering the far right have also noticed plenty of chatter on far-right social media networks about potentially traveling to Ukraine to join the war, perhaps in alliance with the Azov Battalion. But there’s almost no evidence that this has actually happened. The Amadeu Antonio Foundation’s news outlet Belltower.News last week asked the German Interior Ministry for official figures and was told that, of the known neo-Nazis that Germany’s domestic intelligence were observing, only 27 had even shown any intention of travelling to Ukraine to fight. Even of the handful who had traveled to Ukraine, thought to be fewer than five, it is not known whether they have actually taken part in any fighting, or which groups in Ukraine they might have joined.
The Pro-Putin Alliance
Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, also attracts support amongst the fringe of Germany’s extreme right with his strongman attitude. “When Putin wins, men will again be men and not women, electricity and fuel will become cheaper, Islamization will end, and the Green Party leftists will all be locked up,” read a message on a Telegram chat group for the “Free Thuringians” extreme-right splinter group.
The most explicitly pro-Putin German far-right group is the Freie Sachsen (“Free Saxons”), only formed a year ago, which describes itself as an umbrella group that allows membership in other organizations.
Many Freie Sachsen have been supporting conspiracy theorists of the Querdenker movement, which rejects state authorities and opposed the government’s COVID measures. This group now identifies NATO as part of a globalist conspiracy that helped instigate the war.
“With the Freie Sachsen it’s very clear that they see themselves ideologically as partners of Putin,” said Kiess. “And I’d see that is true of the conspiracy ideology scene on the whole.”
Mainstream Far-Right Caught in a Dilemma
Germany’s most successful mainstream far-right party, the Alternative for Germany (AfD), has been struggling to adopt a single position. While the party’s national leaders including chairman Tino Chrupalla joined the condemnation of the Russian invasion when it began, influential regional figures were much more equivocal, seeking to avoid taking sides. Björn Höcke, head of the AfD in the eastern state of Thuringia, described Ukrainians as “the victims of a global geopolitical confrontation between NATO and Russia.”
The AfD has traditionally supported Putin, and like many of Europe’s far-right political parties, its top politicians have maintained ties with the Kremlin and enjoyed its active support. Putin’s opposition to Western organizations such as NATO and the EU fits neatly with the AfD’s strong voter base in eastern Germany, which is skeptical of EU membership and where historic ties are behind a fundamental cultural empathy with Russia.
“They’re ideologically very close: They want a strong man, they’re against modern democracy and issues like gender equality,” said Kiess. “But of course they know it’s very difficult with current public opinion, when most Germans have a very clear idea of who started the war, and that it’s a horrific war.”
Kiess thinks the AfD is probably eager to exploit the crisis for anti-government rhetoric: “I think sooner or later we’ll see the AfD trying to downplay this war and get past it, once the issue in Germany moves to energy security and fuel prices.”
Ben Knight is a DW reporter. Andrea Grunau reports from Bavaria for DW. This article is published courtesy of Deutsche Welle (DW).
