With the Alternative for Germany party poised to gain power in Saxony-Anhalt, federal officials are drafting measures to limit the group's access to classified intelligence. The German military drafted a 1,000-page blueprint in 2024, known informally as the "Oplan," detailing responses to a Russian attack in Eastern Europe. Senior state leaders are among the few allowed access.

Now, under Chancellor Friedrich Merz, the federal government aims to restrict this access to prevent a Moscow-friendly far-right party from reviewing sensitive state secrets. If AfD succeeds in forming a coalition government, military leaders fear the plan could be passed to Russia. The plans sharpen a dispute about protecting Germany's postwar democratic system.

Proposals include blocking Saxony-Anhalt's view of intelligence concerning Russian subterfuge while allowing other data, changing interstate cooperation rules to prevent AfD officials from paralyzing cross-state policing, and preventing the party from viewing files related to far-right extremists. A spokesman for the AfD called the restrictions undemocratic, while government officials view the move as necessary to protect national security and reassure allies concerned over the party's coziness with Moscow. The measures could draw court challenges from AfD, which argues mainstream parties are thwarting voter will.