“Alternative for Germany” and Russia: The Limits of the Possible

Russia in Global Affairs. 2025. Vol. 23. No. 2. P. 88–107.

Фомичев Ф. М.

This article examines the history of modern Germany’s right-wing opposition as represented by the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. Tracing its ideological and organizational evolution, the author identifies three factions (liberal-conservative, moderate-conservative and national-conservative) and two strategic approaches they battle over. While one approach seeks entrance into the political establishment as a conservative alternative, the other, fundamentally oppositional, approach resists the establishment’s attempts to absorb the AfD’s moderates and thereby eliminate the country’s most successful conservative political project. So far, the battle has been won by the faction that advocates the latter approach. Currently, the AfD faces a stark choice: to become the Trumpist U.S.’s representative in Europe, or to try to rebuild continental cooperation around Paris and Berlin, drawing in Moscow in it at some point. The AfD’s moderates favor the former, while the national-conservative wing supports normalization of relations with Russia. The latter’s strength and commercial pragmatism provide grounds for expecting cooperation with Russia in the energy and pan-European security spheres.

Ключевые слова: sovereignty, Foreign Policy, Alternative for Germany, right-wing conservatism, fundamental opposition, internal party struggle

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