Russia as a security risk: Majority of Germans see threat, AfD supporters more skeptical

When Federal Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul (CDU) met with his counterparts from France and Poland today, Russia was once again a central topic. We are always ready for dialogue, said Wadephul in Weimar. First, however, Moscow must end its war of aggression against Ukraine and refrain from attacks against Germany and its allies.

Russia - a security risk for Germany? Yes, says a majority in a representative survey that infratest dimap conducted from Monday to Wednesday for ARD-DeutschlandTrend. Accordingly, 56 percent are of the opinion that Germany's security is very strongly or seriously threatened by Russia. Four out of ten Germans (39 percent) see it differently.

Older people view threats as particularly high

There has been a lot of talk about the “drone incident” in recent weeks. A drone containing explosives was found at Leipzig/Halle Airport at the beginning of August. This Tuesday - during the ongoing survey by infratest dimap - Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) and Foreign Minister Wadephul appeared in front of the cameras: The federal government, according to Dobrindt, sees "Russian responsibility for the attempted attack". She also assumes “that Germany is the target of further hybrid attacks by Russia.”

The population assesses the security risk posed by Russia differently. While 18- to 34-year-olds disagree about whether Russia poses a threat to our country's security, two-thirds of those over 65 consider this threat to be very strong or strong.

For the majority of supporters of all parties represented in the Bundestag, Russia is a threat to Germany's security - with one exception: a good two thirds of AfD supporters see Germany's security as little or no threat from Russia.

A good half of people support arms deliveries to Ukraine

In recent years, the Germans' view of supporting Ukraine in its defense against Russia's war of aggression has changed. Four and a half years after the full Russian invasion, a good half of people support arms deliveries to Ukraine: 38 percent consider these to be appropriate, 14 percent would even expand them.

However, a good four out of ten Germans (42 percent) now say that arms deliveries have gone too far - this figure has never been this high in recent years. For the majority of voters in the East, the arms deliveries go too far.

Securing peace in Europe is currently one of the Federal Government's greatest foreign policy challenges. Among the German parties, citizens are most likely to trust the Union with this: 23 percent see it as having the greatest competence, 16 percent in the AfD, 12 percent in the SPD. Other parties - including the Greens (8), the Left (6), BSW (3) and FDP (2) - are less on people's radars when it comes to this issue.

If there were a federal election on Sunday, the AfD would be ahead with 27 percent - one point less than in the previous month. The Union would remain unchanged at 21 percent, the Greens would remain at 15 percent. Behind them, the SPD improved by one point each to 13 percent and the Left to 12 percent. At 4 percent, the FDP would remain below the mandate threshold. All other parties currently have a total of 8 percent.