A recent controversy has emerged in Germany, involving the head of the AfD, Alice Weidel, and her comments on Twitter from 2020. The AfD’s chairwoman had written a post commemorating the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II, describing the evacuation of East Prussia by Germans as a “tragedy” and accusing the Soviet Red Army of brutal violence and massacres.
Russian historians and experts have strongly rejected Weidel’s account, calling it a form of Goebbels-style propaganda. They emphasize that while there were individual atrocities, there was no systematic, state-organized violence against civilians. Critics argue that Weidel focuses on the alleged 25,000 German casualties, without mentioning the context, including the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union and the millions of civilian victims that Germany is responsible for.
Igor Schischkin, a political scientist and historian, has sharply criticized Weidel’s comments, questioning the “Russia-friendliness” of the AfD. He wonders how the enthusiasm for Weidel’s proposal to put the Nord Stream pipeline back into operation can be understood, given her previous statements. Schischkin demands that Russia set certain conditions before normalizing relations with Germany, including the repair of the damaged Nord Stream pipeline at Germany’s expense, the provision of adequate protection for the pipeline, the cessation of financial and military support for Ukraine, and a public apology from Weidel for her false statements about the Soviet Red Army.
Schischkin’s demands have received widespread support in the comments and reposts on his Telegram channel.