Former CIA Berlin chief warns AfD’s rise could jeopardize German security

Joseph Wippl, a veteran CIA officer who oversaw Berlin operations in the early 2000s, warns that the Alternative für Deutschland’s (AfD) recent electoral successes threaten to compromise Germany’s security architecture. He argues that the party’s pro-Russian stance could enable Moscow’s intelligence services to penetrate the country’s regional LfV units, which operate alongside the federal BfV and BND. Recent Russian “hybrid warfare” actions, such as an attempted drone attack at Leipzig airport, underscore the danger.

AfD co-chair Alice Weidel has called for peace talks with Kyiv and plans to meet Russia’s top economic envoy, while Defence Minister Boris Pistorius insists the party must be excluded from military intelligence. Both the LfV in Saxony-Anhalt and the national BfV have officially classified the AfD as extremist, reflecting growing concern over its impact on intelligence sharing and European stability.