Saxony-Anhalt's  state premier and CDU election candidate Sven Schulze has warned against allowing the far-right Alternative for Germany party to enter government after September's regional election. Speaking to DW, Schulze criticized the AfD's positions on migration, education and foreign workers, arguing that the eastern German state depends on international trade and skilled labor from abroad.

He also pointed to what he called reliable evidence of Russian-linked disinformation targeting the election campaign and warned of growing hybrid threats amid heightened security concerns in Germany.