Tino Chrupalla

At an AfD rally in Dessau, Chrupalla had requested the German national anthem, but cabaret performer Uwe Steimle began singing the East German anthem; after initially correcting him, Chrupalla smiled and sang part of the lyrics, provoking strong criticism. A few weeks later, ARD-Faktenfinder identified false or misleading claims concerning climate and migration in his 2026 summer interview.

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While Alice Weidel criticised further visits by AfD representatives to Sochi, Chrupalla defended them and subsequently said on television that Putin had 'personally done nothing to him', adding that Russia was not currently a threat to Germany and that even Poland could become a threat. His remarks drew criticism within the AfD itself.

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Chrupalla claimed on television that not a single cent from the 100 billion-euro special fund had yet been invested in the Bundeswehr. Correctiv concluded that the statement was false: most of the fund had already been contractually committed, and several projects had received funding.

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Like Alice Weidel, Chrupalla benefited from the AfD parliamentary group's decision to double the co-chairs' monthly supplement from 6 000 to 12 000 euros, in addition to the parliamentary allowance. The increase prompted controversy over the party's consistency with its criticism of political privileges.

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During ARD's 2024 summer interview, Chrupalla used several figures concerning people without a right to remain and deportations that ARD-Faktenfinder deemed inaccurate, and made certain deportation demands incompatible with applicable legal constraints.

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Chrupalla attended the reception hosted by the Russian embassy in Berlin to commemorate victory on 9 May, while many German officials boycotted it because of the invasion of Ukraine. His presence alongside Gerhard Schröder, among others, triggered strong controversy.

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Shortly after Russia's invasion, Chrupalla used a special Bundestag session to thank Russia for its historical contribution to German reunification and described the 100 billion special fund for the Bundeswehr as an arms race. This position intensified criticism of the AfD leadership's closeness to Russia.

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Chrupalla described Minister Baerbock's position on Taiwan as 'größenwahnsinnig und brandgefährlich' and called on Germany to respect China's 'legitimate security interests'. The position was controversial and contrasted with that of some AfD MPs more critical of Beijing.

State of the evidence

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No legal proceedings