The Telegraph: Merz’s secret plan to stop German AfD blocking NATO troops

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz as he is driven in a tank at the German army barracks
Photo: AFP

Friedrich Merz is drawing up secret plans to prevent German pro-Kremlin “traitor states” from obstructing NATO’s plans to defend against a Russian invasion, The Telegraph reveals.

German officials fear the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party could frustrate the movement of allied forces through two eastern states it is expected to win in September elections.

If the hard-Right party wins an absolute majority in Saxony‑Anhalt or Mecklenburg‑Vorpommern, it will be able to form a state government with control over internal security, policing and other powers.

It could slow troop and equipment movements through bureaucratic obstructionism over permits and permissions, delay the deployment of state-level police resources, and refuse to give the military priority on local roads.

To guard against this, Mr Merz’s government is preparing mechanisms to override state governments’ decision-making powers in the event of a crisis, as well as protect key officials and infrastructure in neighbouring states.

Germany, which is divided into 16 federal states with powerful regional administrations, is nicknamed “NATO’s roundabout” because a number of crucial logistical routes pass through the country towards the border with Russia.

Using Kremlin-friendly politicians to delay NATO’s efforts to deploy troops swiftly could be “very effective”, a Western defence source told The Telegraph in a joint investigation with Die Welt.

The source said: “For Putin, it’s perhaps not even an objective to defeat Nato militarily, because that’s a challenge. But if he can find the cracks inside the alliance on a political level and exacerbate those, then that’s the shortcut to breaking the alliance.”

Roderich Kiesewetter, an MP for Mr Merz’s Christian Democrats (CDU) agreed. He said the Kremlin’s strategy was to exploit divides in attitudes towards Russia in Germany, and make it “as unreliable a logistics hub as possible”.

Mr Kiesewetter, a former colonel and a member of the Bundestag’s foreign affairs committee, said counter-measures against rebel state governments were being drawn up by interior ministry officials, but they were complicated by constitutional laws governing state independence.

He added: “There are plans under development on how to protect the secret services and how neighbour states can take over and safeguard key infrastructure and also key personnel.

“The key question is how to circumvent a state not adhering to the federal idea without violating the constitution.”

A senior CDU lawmaker in Saxony-Anhalt confirmed the secret plans.

Tobias Krull, the deputy chairman of the state parliament’s interior committee, said: “There are considerations about what could be done to bypass the state government in the event of an AfD single-party government.”

However, Boris Pistorius, the German defence minister, has warned that AfD state governments could be excluded from some intelligence briefings because of the party’s close links to the Kremlin.

Mr Merz is saddled with record levels of unpopularity while support for the AfD has been growing. It is now Germany’s main opposition party, after securing a historic second place in the February 2025 election won by the centre-Right Mr Merz.

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