DISINFO: Alternative for Germany (AfD) ballots destroyed in German election fraud
SUMMARY
They are doing everything they can to stop the AfD! The video shows the destruction of AfD ballot papers, in Hamburg. This must be investigated!
RESPONSE
Pro-Kremlin disinformation about the German Presidential elections of 23 February 2025 likely connected with the Russian Hacker group 'Storm 1516', which published a fabricated video about election fraud.
This video, circulating on Telegram and X, allegedly shows the destruction of mail-in ballots for the AfD in the 2025 German federal election.
This story has been debunked several times already. See for reference the fact-check at Deutsche Welle, reporting by German outlet the BILD or the remarks of the State Election Officer of Hamburg.
A spokesman for the German Interior Ministry told BILD that there is evidence pointing to a connection with the alleged Russian ‘Storm 1516’ campaign because the means of distribution and the videos are very similar.
Hamburg’s State Election Commissioner, Oliver Rudolf, has warned against fake videos circulating on social media. One such video purports to show the destruction of mail-in ballots for the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. However, Rudolf has confirmed that the materials in the video are not official election documents but forgeries. The pink envelopes in the video are the wrong colour, have a different label, and the wrong tab on the front.
Officer Rudolf explains that videos like this are a perfidious attempt to delegitimise democratic and free elections. In this case, they could quickly and unequivocally determine that it was a fake. See also our article Pro-Kremlin outlets drool over German elections.
See also similar cases connected to election fraud or the German elections: German elections results in advance and connected with the AfD