AfD lawmaker defends Russian Army mug amid backlash in German state election race

A black mug bearing the red star and Cyrillic inscription “Armee Russlands” was displayed in the constituency office of Hans-Thomas Tillschneider, deputy parliamentary group leader and deputy state chair of the Alternative for Germany in Saxony-Anhalt, journalist Paul Ronzheimer reported on Aug. 30.

Tillschneider told the Deutsche Presse-Agentur the mug was a souvenir from a Russia trip in 2023 or 2024 and said he did not understand the controversy. “It is a gift that is lying around here,” he said, adding, “It is not our war.” When pressed on his view of the Russian Army, Tillschneider replied, “Stop it with this stupid mug. States have no friends, states have interests.”

Ronzheimer, who filmed the exchange in Querfurt, noted the army in question is the one attacking Ukraine and conducting hybrid warfare against Germany. Tillschneider later attempted to block publication of the video, citing what he called the “impertinent behavior” of Ronzheimer and his team, according to Ronzheimer’s podcast. The journalist said free media would not be silenced.

The office also contained a “Make America Great Again” cap from Donald Trump’s campaign, a copy of “Das Buch Hitler,” and a book of conversations with AfD colleague Björn Höcke, who was convicted for using Nazi-era slogans, Der Standard reported on Aug. 30.

Reactions followed swiftly. Filipp Piatov, present during the interview, said Tillschneider placed the mug deliberately because he approves of the Russian Army’s actions. Pianist Igor Levit wrote on X that the AfD’s alignment with Russian interests was no conspiracy. CDU General Secretary Franziska Hoppermann called the AfD “the Putin party” and warned of the security risk it posed.

Tillschneider, 48, is considered a potential minister should the AfD gain government responsibility after the Saxony-Anhalt state election on Sept. 6. The party is polling below the absolute majority needed to elect its top candidate, Ulrich Siegmund, as minister-president. The state branch of the AfD is classified as confirmed far-right by Germany’s domestic intelligence agency.

Earlier in August, Tillschneider walked out of a podcast interview with journalist Melanie Amann in Berlin, objecting to questions about Höcke and others instead of his book or personal profile.