AFD adviser forced to quit after allegations he was working for FSB as ‘influence agent’

AN ALLEGED spy for Russia who was working as an adviser to a German MP has resigned after what appears to be correspondence between him and an FSB agent in Moscow was published.

Until this weekend, Vladimir Sergiyenko was a political strategist for an MP from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AFD) party. But Ukrainianborn Mr Sergiyenko is accused of simultaneously working as an “influence agent” for Russia, taking instructions from an FSB intelligence agent who coordinated his every move and provided him with funding, according to an investigation by Der Spiegel and independent Russian website The Insider.

The 52-year-old is said to have played a key role in persuading the AFD to file a lawsuit against Germany’s Federal Constitutional Court to stop weapons deliveries to Ukraine, telling his handler “this makes the government’s work more difficult”.

When asked for a progress report, he responded “we are following the plan. Not easy, but we’re making progress.”

He visited Moscow regularly, where he appeared on TV chat shows, and also had an access pass to the Bundestag, Germany’s Parliament.

Mr Sergiyenko was found with €9,000 in cash by customs on two occasions when returning from Russia, according to the report.

Western intelligence services reportedly fear that he could have been fun- nelling the money to the AFD, which opposes economic sanctions on Russia as well as German military support for Ukraine.

Officials also found a Russian passport, which he had not presented when applying for German citizenship in late 2022 and of which Berlin is now attempting to strip him.

Mr Sergiyenko denies the allegations, saying he is the victim of a hack and that all claims of his connections to Russia are “fictitious”.

His previous employer, Eugene Schmidt, an MP who heads the Afd’s Russian-german parliamentary group, said the allegations were untrue and the result of an anti-afd campaign.