Overview
- Boris Pistorius, who spoke to Bild am Sonntag on July 4, said he will prevent AfD ministers from receiving classified information and that the ministry is intensively reviewing access rules for secret material.
- Pistorius justified the stance by pointing to the AfD’s public closeness to Vladimir Putin and saying there is suspicion of Russian money, a claim reported as a concern rather than as proven fact.
- Several AfD state branches have been assessed by the domestic intelligence service as 'confirmed right‑wing extremist', a designation that factors into decisions about who can hold security clearances and receive sensitive briefings.
- The party reconfirmed its federal leadership at its Erfurt congress over the weekend and leads in polls in parts of eastern Germany, with the Saxony‑Anhalt vote on Sept. 6 seen as the most likely path to a first AfD state government.
- No formal legal ban has been announced yet; the review could change how federal and state authorities share intelligence and how the Bundeswehr cooperates with state governments, and it has drawn backing from other parties who warn of real security risks.