Reuters: Germany considers restricting access to secret data due to far-right election victory

Germany is considering restricting access by far-right and far-left politicians to confidential information that could potentially end up in Russia or criminal groups. The move comes after far-right politicians won elections in several German states.

Reuters reports this, citing high-ranking representatives of the ruling coalition.

Journalists explain that in Germanyʼs federal system, the states have their own domestic intelligence services, which are under the control of local governments. They exchange information with each other and cooperate with the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV).

Politicians fear that if these services were under the control of ministers from the far right or far left, confidential information could leak to Moscow.

The Alternative for Germany (AfD) party says it only wants to avoid war and opposes German military support for Ukraine. The party rejects all accusations that it is an ally of Vladimir Putin.

In addition to the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, other intelligence agencies and state governments are also considering imposing restrictions.

At the same time, representatives of law enforcement agencies emphasize that they do not want to completely stop the exchange of information, in particular because of the need to respond to possible terrorist threats.

• On September 20, it became known that the Alternative for Germany won local elections in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and the left-wing populist party The Left won in Berlin.
• Two weeks ago, the AfD also came in first place in the elections in Saxony-Anhalt. The party opposes aid to Ukraine, calls for rapprochement with Russia and the lifting of sanctions against it.

For more news and in-depth stories from Ukraine, please follow us on X.