{
  "id": "f78efea1-c993-4cc2-8335-92ed5aeab849",
  "url": "https://tagesschau.de/investigativ/kontraste/afd-ukraine-russland-101.html",
  "source": "extension",
  "status": "approved",
  "category": "Cyber & Information Warfare",
  "subcategory": "Information Operations",
  "incident_type": "Propaganda & disinformation campaigns",
  "country": "Germany",
  "source_reliability": "B",
  "info_credibility": "3",
  "tags": [
    "Russian propaganda",
    "AfD",
    "disinformation",
    "russia–ukraine war",
    "russian influence operations",
    "German Bundestag",
    "political manipulation",
    "hybrid warfare"
  ],
  "nodes": [
    "Node 2: 5th Column"
  ],
  "countries": [
    "Germany"
  ],
  "where_text": "Land",
  "headline": "Putin's Propagandist in the German Bundestag: 'No Democracy in Germany'",
  "description": "Eugen Schmidt, a Bundestag member of the right-wing AfD party, repeatedly disseminates Russian state propaganda through interviews and statements in Russian media outlets, portraying Germany as a state lacking democracy and governed by elite oppression. His claims include assertions that opposition opinions face censorship and physical violence, undermining trust in Germany’s legal system. His statements were published in early March 2022, after Russia restricted free press reporting on the Ukraine war. Schmidt has also taken part in Kremlin-organized propaganda trips to Crimea and manages AfD’s 'Russia-Germans' network. German experts warn these activities serve Russian disinformation campaigns designed to discredit Germany and bolster Kremlin narratives amid the Ukraine conflict. The AfD group officially distances itself from Schmidt's views, although its position on Russia remains under discussion.",
  "summary_short": "AfD Bundestag member Eugen Schmidt repeatedly spreads Kremlin-aligned propaganda in Russian state media, denying democracy in Germany and accusing the government of suppressing dissent amid the Ukraine war.",
  "summary_extended": "Eugen Schmidt, an AfD member of the German Bundestag, has repeatedly appeared in Russian state and pro-Kremlin media since early 2022, portraying Germany as a dictatorship that suppresses dissent and lacks democracy. He alleged that opposition voices face censorship, persecution, and even physical violence in Germany, statements published shortly after Russia criminalized free reporting on the Ukraine war. Schmidt also dismissed the fairness of German courts and echoed Kremlin narratives denying democratic practices. Before the war started, he spoke in Russian in parliament echoing Kremlin positions. His activities include interviews with the Russian Ministry of Defense's propaganda outlet Zvezda and participation in Kremlin-supported trips to the annexed Crimean Peninsula. Experts like Stefan Meister (DGAP) describe Schmidt's actions as aiding Russian state propaganda efforts to discredit Germany and free media. The AfD parliamentary group officially distances itself from Schmidt's views. This is part of broader Kremlin influence efforts via German pro-Russian actors connected with ethnicity-based networks linked to the AfD. These details were reported by ARD's investigative program Kontraste on 10 March 2022.",
  "actor_primary": "Eugen Schmidt",
  "target_primary": null,
  "location_text": "Germany",
  "location_region": null,
  "location_coordinates_lat": 51.1657,
  "location_coordinates_lon": 10.4515,
  "location_precision": "Regional",
  "is_aggressor_signal": true,
  "signal_type": "HYBRID_SIGNAL",
  "is_hybrid_war_signal": true,
  "classification_complete": true,
  "hybrid_signal_complete": true,
  "classification_confidence": "High",
  "classification_rationale": "The article clearly details hostile hybrid warfare activities by a Kremlin-aligned German MP propagating Russian disinformation to discredit German democracy and free media amid the Ukraine war, supported by multiple Russian state media appearances and pro-Kremlin actions.",
  "event_time_utc": "2022-03-06T00:00:00.000Z",
  "end_time_utc": null,
  "event_time_confidence": "pm24h",
  "created_at": "2026-04-28T13:45:01.177Z",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-04T08:36:03.522Z",
  "reliability_band": "strong",
  "location_precision_band": "regional",
  "time_precision_band": "within_24h",
  "severity_band": "moderate",
  "attribution_confidence_band": "high",
  "attribution_basis": "single_source"
}

{
  "id": "f78efea1-c993-4cc2-8335-92ed5aeab849",
  "url": "https://tagesschau.de/investigativ/kontraste/afd-ukraine-russland-101.html",
  "source": "extension",
  "status": "approved",
  "category": "Cyber & Information Warfare",
  "subcategory": "Information Operations",
  "incident_type": "Propaganda & disinformation campaigns",
  "country": "Germany",
  "source_reliability": "B",
  "info_credibility": "3",
  "tags": [
    "Russian propaganda",
    "AfD",
    "disinformation",
    "russia–ukraine war",
    "russian influence operations",
    "German Bundestag",
    "political manipulation",
    "hybrid warfare"
  ],
  "nodes": [
    "Node 2: 5th Column"
  ],
  "countries": [
    "Germany"
  ],
  "where_text": "Land",
  "headline": "Putin's Propagandist in the German Bundestag: 'No Democracy in Germany'",
  "description": "Eugen Schmidt, a Bundestag member of the right-wing AfD party, repeatedly disseminates Russian state propaganda through interviews and statements in Russian media outlets, portraying Germany as a state lacking democracy and governed by elite oppression. His claims include assertions that opposition opinions face censorship and physical violence, undermining trust in Germany’s legal system. His statements were published in early March 2022, after Russia restricted free press reporting on the Ukraine war. Schmidt has also taken part in Kremlin-organized propaganda trips to Crimea and manages AfD’s 'Russia-Germans' network. German experts warn these activities serve Russian disinformation campaigns designed to discredit Germany and bolster Kremlin narratives amid the Ukraine conflict. The AfD group officially distances itself from Schmidt's views, although its position on Russia remains under discussion.",
  "summary_short": "AfD Bundestag member Eugen Schmidt repeatedly spreads Kremlin-aligned propaganda in Russian state media, denying democracy in Germany and accusing the government of suppressing dissent amid the Ukraine war.",
  "summary_extended": "Eugen Schmidt, an AfD member of the German Bundestag, has repeatedly appeared in Russian state and pro-Kremlin media since early 2022, portraying Germany as a dictatorship that suppresses dissent and lacks democracy. He alleged that opposition voices face censorship, persecution, and even physical violence in Germany, statements published shortly after Russia criminalized free reporting on the Ukraine war. Schmidt also dismissed the fairness of German courts and echoed Kremlin narratives denying democratic practices. Before the war started, he spoke in Russian in parliament echoing Kremlin positions. His activities include interviews with the Russian Ministry of Defense's propaganda outlet Zvezda and participation in Kremlin-supported trips to the annexed Crimean Peninsula. Experts like Stefan Meister (DGAP) describe Schmidt's actions as aiding Russian state propaganda efforts to discredit Germany and free media. The AfD parliamentary group officially distances itself from Schmidt's views. This is part of broader Kremlin influence efforts via German pro-Russian actors connected with ethnicity-based networks linked to the AfD. These details were reported by ARD's investigative program Kontraste on 10 March 2022.",
  "actor_primary": "Eugen Schmidt",
  "target_primary": null,
  "location_text": "Germany",
  "location_region": null,
  "location_coordinates_lat": 51.1657,
  "location_coordinates_lon": 10.4515,
  "location_precision": "Regional",
  "is_aggressor_signal": true,
  "signal_type": "HYBRID_SIGNAL",
  "is_hybrid_war_signal": true,
  "classification_complete": true,
  "hybrid_signal_complete": true,
  "classification_confidence": "High",
  "classification_rationale": "The article clearly details hostile hybrid warfare activities by a Kremlin-aligned German MP propagating Russian disinformation to discredit German democracy and free media amid the Ukraine war, supported by multiple Russian state media appearances and pro-Kremlin actions.",
  "event_time_utc": "2022-03-06T00:00:00.000Z",
  "end_time_utc": null,
  "event_time_confidence": "pm24h",
  "created_at": "2026-04-28T13:45:01.177Z",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-04T08:36:03.522Z",
  "reliability_band": "strong",
  "location_precision_band": "regional",
  "time_precision_band": "within_24h",
  "severity_band": "moderate",
  "attribution_confidence_band": "high",
  "attribution_basis": "single_source"
}