Concerns: AFD victory could hit Ukrainians hard

 

TT

 

Published 08.10

  

Caricatures depicting AFD leader Alice Weidel and Russian President Vladimir Putin during a parade in Düsseldorf in February. Photo: Martin Meissner/AP/TT

The far-right AFD party, winner of the election in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, has promised to reduce support for Ukrainian refugees.

The state's government fears that the new government could put a damper on important transport routes to the east.

Ulrich Siegmund, the AFD's top name in Saxony-Anhalt, wants to improve relations with Russia, strip migrants of their refugee status and force them to leave the country.

Around 30,000 Ukrainian refugees live in the state.

Now German authorities fear that AFD control over the state could also affect routes where military equipment is transported to the east. According to The Telegraph, Chancellor Friedrich Merz has begun work on drawing up alternative routes for allied forces to travel if necessary.

Germany is divided into 16 federal states, each with powerful regional administrations.