An Alternative for the Kremlin: Who Is Alice Weidel, and How Is the AfD Preparing to Take Power in Germany?

"Ukraine is too small to defeat Russia" – these were the words spoken by Alice Weidel, leader of "Alternative for Germany" (AfD), in an interview with The Economist. Moreover, she declared the war already lost and called on Berlin to stop funding the Ukrainian resistance. And most alarmingly, people with such views are already winning regional elections in Germany and coming to power.

In September 2026,the AfD achieved record results in Saxony-Anhalt, and the party’s support at the national level is steadily growing, leaving even traditional German political forces behind. All of this is happening against the backdrop of years of attempts to isolate the far right from power, suspicions on the part of intelligence agencies, and numerous legal scandals surrounding “Alternative for Germany.”

24 Channel analyzed Alice Weidel’s political journey to understand how a former banker and rather atypical advocate of “traditional values” – with a whole host of contradictions – became the face of the German far right, why the traditional political “firewall” surrounding the AfD is gradually crumbling, and how the rise to power of a far-right party that openly flirts with the Kremlin could threaten Ukraine and all of Europe.

A Model Traditionalist with an Asterisk: Who Is Alice Weidel?

If today’s German far-right had a special department to vet biographies for compliance with traditional values – as their predecessors did – Alice Weidel would most likely have had to undergo a rather long and complex interview. The fact is that the biography of the 47-year-old leader of “Alternative for Germany” is perhaps the most striking example of just how flexible conservative principles can be when political gain is at stake.

Weidel was born on February 6, 1979, in Gütersloh, in western Germany. She earned a degree in economics from the University of Bayreuth and later defended her doctoral dissertation on China’s pension system. Her research was funded by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, which has close ties to the Christian Democratic Union (CDU, one of Germany’s major mainstream parties representing the center-right of the political spectrum – 24 Channel) Konrad Adenauer Foundation. There is a certain irony here, as today the CDU is arguably Weidel’s key political opponent.

Before entering politics, she worked at the American investment bank Goldman Sachs and at Allianz Global Investors, lived in China for about six years, learned Chinese, and worked in business consulting. All in all, it’s a fairly typical career for a successful economist and a member of the so-called “financial elite,” against whom European right-wing populists are now so vehemently campaigning.

Alice Weidel with her partner Sarah Bossard / Photo – Instagram

Given the AfD’s ideology, Weidel’s personal life is no less interesting. The politician is in a same-sex partnership with Sarah Bossard, a Swiss film producer of Sri Lankan descent; together, they are raising two sons.

This wouldn’t be an issue if the party’s rhetoric weren’t centered on the aggressive defense of the so-called “traditional family,” German identity, and the need to restrict immigration. However, for some reason, such contradictions do not particularly bother Weidel herself or her fellow party members.

Alice Weidel ’s political career began back in 2013, when she joined the newly formed “Alternative for Germany.” At that time, the AfD was still predominantly a Euroskeptic party of economists and conservatives who opposed financial aid to troubled eurozone countries – a highly relevant issue, since Germany had effectively taken on the task of bailing out the struggling economies of Greece, Portugal, Cyprus, and others. However, following the 2015 migration crisis, the party began to increasingly exploit anti-immigration rhetoric, gradually transforming into a full-fledged far-right movement.

As early as 2017, Weidel was elected to the Bundestag for the first time and co-led the AfD parliamentary caucus with Alexander Gauland. In 2022, she became co-chair of the party alongside Tino Chrupalla, and in the 2025 parliamentary elections , she was the AfD’s candidate for chancellor. At that time, the party won 20.8% of the vote, doubling its result from the previous election.

But what was most telling was the evolution of Weidel’s relationship with the party’s radical wing, particularly its informal leader, Björn Höcke. As early as 2017, she supported efforts to expel Heck from the party altogether, particularly due to statements that even his fellow party members considered far too close to National Socialism.

Björn Höcke and Alice Weidel / Photo – Der Spiegel

But later, the political climate forced Weidel to compromise. Instead of criticizing him, she began openly defending her colleague, whom German courts had repeatedly punished for using Nazi slogans. As OSW analysts note, it was precisely this tactical alliance with the radical wing that allowed Weidel to strengthen her own position within the party. At the July 2026 convention, she was re-elected co-chair of “Alternative for Germany” with overwhelming support from 81.3% of the delegates.

In fact, Weidel has managed to achieve what previously seemed nearly impossible: combining the radical rhetoric of the far right with the entirely respectable image of a successful economist and professional. And it seems that this strategy is working perfectly, because while her fellow party members periodically find themselves embroiled in scandals over their sympathies for the Nazi past, Weidel herself is convincing Germans that she simply wants to restore their country to its former greatness.

The key problem is that with each passing month, more and more Germans are willing to believe her.

The Firewall Has Cracked: Why Germany Can No Longer Stop the Rise of the AfD

For many years, the German political establishment has had a fairly simple formula for combating the far right: simply prevent them from coming to power by any means necessary. This is the very principle underlying the so-called political “firewall” (barrier or buffer zone), which requires traditional German parties to refuse any coalitions with the AfD. And until recently, this strategy actually worked, since even victories in regional elections did not guarantee the far right a place in government.

However, with each successive election cycle, support for the AfD is growing, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to form coalitions without it. This was particularly evident in the September elections in Saxony-Anhalt, where Weidel’s party won a record 43.8% of the vote, while its closest competitor, theChristian Democratic Union, received only 17.2%.

Other mainstream parties fared even worse: the Social Democrats with 9.3% and the Greens with 8.9%. In other words, the three traditional German parties combined garnered only 35.4% of the vote, losing out to the far right even when joining forces. In fact, to maintain their “firewall,” the traditional parties are forced to seek increasingly unconventional political alliances, even though this also contributes to the isolation of the AfD itself.

For example, in January 2025, Friedrich Merz’s CDU/CSU bloc pushed a migration resolution through the Bundestag precisely thanks to the votes of “Alternative for Germany.” This sparked a major political scandal and a wave of outrage among the traditional parties, as the proposed measures – particularly those regarding the denial of entry to refugees – were criticized for contradicting German and European law.

The AfD faction was in a celebratory mood after voting on the resolution / Photo – AFP

After the vote, Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla did not hide their excitement, as this was the first time in the history of the Bundestag that a parliamentary resolution had been adopted thanks to AfD votes. Admittedly, the resolution itself was non-binding and did not entail any direct changes to the law, but for the far right, the political significance of this victory far outweighed the legal nuances.

Ultimately, however, where political isolation proves insufficient, legal restrictions come into play. In May 2025, Germany’s Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, which also serves as the domestic intelligence agency, designated “Alternative for Germany” as a right-wing extremist organization. This allowed for closer monitoring of the party’s activities and its leadership, and also sparked discussions about the idea of completely banning the AfD.

But in a constitutional state like Germany, banning parties left and right is no simple matter. Within a few days, the AfD challenged the decision in court, and in February 2026, the official extremist label was removed from the party. The Cologne Administrative Court ruled that, pending an official verdict, the agency had no right to classify the entire party as extremist, as there was not yet sufficient evidence to do so. However, the possibility of monitoring the AfD’s activities remained unchanged.

But while politicians debate the merits of banning the party, yet another scandal has erupted surrounding the AfD. In October, unknown hackers released more than 420, 000 emails stolen during a September attack on the AfD’s email accounts. According to ZDF Heute, the leaked materials may contain evidence of racist and anti-Semitic views held by individual party officials and supporters of “Alternative for Germany,” although the authenticity and context of individual messages still need to be verified.

A viral photo from an AfD rally in Halle showing Elon Musk speaking at the event in January 2025 / photo – AFP

Ultimately, it turns out that all these attempts to isolate the AfD have become yet another tool in Alice Weidel’s political arsenal. After all, she can now not only criticize the German establishment but also tell voters how it is allegedly trying to deprive them of their right to vote. And while the traditional parties argue over how high the wall around the far right should be, the AfD continues to grow so rapidly that soon its very builders may find themselves on the other side of that same wall.

Germany’s “Alternative” for the Kremlin: How Weidel’s Success Threatens Ukraine

From Ukraine’s perspective, the main characteristic and problem of “Alternative for Germany” – as well as that of a significant number of other right-wing populist parties in Europe – is their boundless desire to play into Russia’s hands. After all, while Alice Weidel and her allies promise to restore Germany’s sovereignty and former greatness, they demonstrate a remarkable willingness to compromise in their relations with the Kremlin. And this goes far beyond the AfD’s traditional calls to lift anti-Russian sanctions or halt aid to Ukraine.

Markus Fronmaier during a panel discussion at the St. Petersburg Economic Forum, in the company of people who should be ashamed / Photo – DPA

For example, in June 2026, Markus Fronmaier, the AfD’s foreign policy chief, attended the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, where he met with Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller and Putin’s special envoy By Kirill Dmitriev. Although both Russians are subject to Western sanctions, Fronmaier discussed with them the resumption of Russian gas supplies and cooperation between the countries.

An even more intriguing story involves AfD MEP Peter Bystron, who is suspected of accepting bribes from the Kremlin-linked propaganda network Voice of Europe. According to investigators, the funds may have been transferred to the politician in exchange for promoting Russian interests in Europe. In May 2025, the European Parliament even stripped Bystron of his parliamentary immunity to facilitate the investigation, but the politician himself, of course, denies all charges.

However, the activities of AfD members of the European Parliament – who began taking a keen interest in the country’s military infrastructure – appear to have caused the greatest concern among German authorities and security agencies. According to Der Spiegel, the lawmakers regularly submitted requests for information on military transport routes, anti-drone systems, cybersecurity, and vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure. German intelligence agencies fear that such data could be collected and used in the Kremlin’s interests.

Tim Schramm in Ukraine

What is particularly telling, however, is that not all AfD members share this fascination with Russia. In July 2025, it emerged that 22-year-old party member Tim Schramm had spent several months fighting as a volunteer on the side of Ukraine. However, the party leadership of Alternative for Germany did not approve of this action and initiated proceedings to expel Schramm from the party.

Nevertheless, Alice Weidel herself remains the most problematic figure in this entire story. In a recent interview with The Economist, she proposed ending German support for Ukraine altogether, calling its war against the Russian invasion a lost cause. In her view, Kyiv is incapable of defeating Moscow, and therefore, continued funding of the Ukrainian resistance simply runs counter to Germany’s interests.

And it appears that such views are gradually finding very practical application. As early as October 14, 2026, the AfD, together with the left-populist “Sara Wagenknecht Alliance” and in accordance with the “horseshoe rule,” passed a resolution through the Saxony-Anhalt state parliament calling for an end to military and financial aid to Ukraine – with the exception of humanitarian aid – as well as the lifting of sanctions against Russia.

Of course, a regional parliament cannot single-handedly change Berlin’s foreign policy, but this case perfectly illustrates how the far right can exploit the opportunities afforded by a parliamentary majority.

Alice Weidel during a public speech / Photo – Facebook

Weidel’s ambitions extend far beyond Germany’s borders. On October 21, she presented her own plan for reforming the European Union, which effectively proposes radically curtailing the powers of European institutions in favor of national governments. Given the Possible gains by the far right in other European countries in next year’s elections, this position no longer appears marginal.

For Ukraine, this means not only the loss of support from one of its most important allies in the EU, but also a weakening of political unity within the bloc – the very foundation upon which much of the sanctions pressure on Russia rests.

And therein lies the main danger of Alice Weidel’s political triumph. After all, to help the Kremlin weaken European support for Ukraine, she doesn’t necessarily have to become chancellor herself. It is enough for her to gain influence in the Bundestag, which will force the traditional parties to take her political agenda seriously. And while Berlin continues to pin its hopes on its famous “firewall,” Moscow is likely watching with no small amount of satisfaction as it gradually cracks.