In March 2018, Saxon AfD Member of the Bundestag Ulrich Oehme traveled to Crimea, the peninsula annexed by Russia in violation of international law, where he acted as an 'international election observer' for the Russian presidential election that no legitimate international organization recognized. Investigations by Kontraste and Der Spiegel revealed that Oehme's trip and election observation activities were financed by the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Russian State Duma, chaired by Leonid Slutsky, who is on the EU sanctions list for the Crimea annexation. Oehme publicly praised the elections despite them being illegal under Ukrainian law and international norms for impartial observers. German politicians including FDP's Michael Link condemned the trip as partisan propaganda serving Kremlin interests and violating OSCE and Council of Europe election observation standards. Oehme reportedly disclosed the Kremlin financing to the Bundestag administration but declined to clarify his qualifications or election observation methodology. Since Russia's 2019 reinstatement in the Council of Europe with limited rights, Kremlin-linked parliamentarians including Slutsky have increased contacts with European MPs including Oehme. Oehme also advocated lifting Russia sanctions and its Council of Europe suspension following his return. The trip raised questions about Bundestag rules forbidding MPs from accepting benefits in exchange for political influence.

In March 2018, Saxon AfD Member of the Bundestag Ulrich Oehme traveled to Crimea, the peninsula annexed by Russia in violation of international law, where he acted as an 'international election observer' for the Russian presidential election that no legitimate international organization recognized. Investigations by Kontraste and Der Spiegel revealed that Oehme's trip and election observation activities were financed by the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Russian State Duma, chaired by Leonid Slutsky, who is on the EU sanctions list for the Crimea annexation. Oehme publicly praised the elections despite them being illegal under Ukrainian law and international norms for impartial observers. German politicians including FDP's Michael Link condemned the trip as partisan propaganda serving Kremlin interests and violating OSCE and Council of Europe election observation standards. Oehme reportedly disclosed the Kremlin financing to the Bundestag administration but declined to clarify his qualifications or election observation methodology. Since Russia's 2019 reinstatement in the Council of Europe with limited rights, Kremlin-linked parliamentarians including Slutsky have increased contacts with European MPs including Oehme. Oehme also advocated lifting Russia sanctions and its Council of Europe suspension following his return. The trip raised questions about Bundestag rules forbidding MPs from accepting benefits in exchange for political influence.