🔶 Putin: AfD’s victory in Germany is the result of systematic mistakes by the West

🔶 Putin: AfD’s victory in Germany is the result of systematic mistakes by the West

Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, said that the strong showing of Alternative for Germany (AfD) in the state election in Saxony-Anhalt was due to the mistakes of the West. He made these remarks at a press conference with reporters on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in New Delhi.

According to Putin, “Everything that is happening in Europe now is the result of systematic mistakes by Western countries in the areas of policy, security, and the economy.”

He claimed that European governments, by provoking an open confrontation with Russia, make their citizens worried and distrustful, and that concern has also been reflected in the results of the German elections.

The Russian president also said: “Russia does not threaten any European country, and with the end of World War II, all issues have been resolved, but these European countries are, by raising the issue of deploying troops to Ukraine, in practice moving toward war with Russia.”

These remarks come as previously Alice Weidel, one of the two leaders of AfD for Germany, had said, “Peace in Europe is only possible through cooperation with Russia.”

The Kremlin officially rejects any involvement in Germany’s elections, but the German government has repeatedly accused Russia of carrying out a “hybrid war,” including cyberattacks and misinformation campaigns prior to the elections.

In this regard, the German government has also attributed an attempt to attack with a drone carrying explosive materials at Leipzig/Halle airport—discovered earlier in August near a Ukrainian transport aircraft—to Russian intelligence services. An accusation that Moscow, of course, denies.

Germany has now announced the closure of the “Russian House” in Berlin and the Russian consulate general in Bonn. In addition, entry controls for Russian nationals have been tightened.

Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Russian National Security Council, in response to these punitive measures, had said: “Germany deserves a direct attack on all facilities producing military equipment and even some points in Berlin.”

He had previously also made headlines with threats, including the possibility of nuclear attacks on Western capitals such as Berlin, London, or Paris.