German intelligence monitoring Russian links to far-right parties

Germany's intelligence agency is examining links between far-right parties such as Alternative for Germany (AfD) and the Russian government, according to reports from the RND group of newspapers on Thursday.

The BfV federal intelligence agency is understood to be concerned that Moscow will attempt to influence upcoming European Parliament elections in late May, as well as three German regional elections that will take place this year, with a team of security experts to be set up to monitor the issue.

RND reported that the intelligence agency saw the elections as a "good opportunity for Russia to further destabilise the West and exploit national problems in a targeted way", with an overall object of weakening trust in democratic processes.

Intelligence officials are also reported to have discussed Russia's relationship with the right-wing nationalistic AfD, which has seen astonishing growth in the last few years to become the third largest party in the German Bundestag, and a smaller party named 'The Right', which is chaired by neo-nazi and holocaust denier Christian Worch.

While German officials are reported to believe that the AfD have had "minimal and limited contact" with Russian entities, the party's leader in the run-up to German federal elections in 2017, Frauke Petry, held talks with Russian officials during a visit to Moscow, including with an ultra-nationalist ally of President Vladimir Putin.

The Kremlin is of course already under suspicion of tampering with foreign elections, with US Special Counsel Robert Mueller investigating the nation's meddling in the 2016 US Presidential elections, as well as possible collusion with the Trump campaign.