German Government Approaches to Russian Activists in Germany After 2022

The purpose of the study is to determine the nature of the actions of the German government in relation to politically active Russian citizens staying in Germany in the context of the deterioration of Russian-German relations in 2022 and to consider the dynamics of the transformation of the approach of the German authorities to interaction with certain groups of the Russian-speaking population. Based on the analysis of public speeches by German politicians, official government and party documents, it was concluded that Berlin is moving towards the institutionalization of the political activities of Russian activists and promoting the formation of horizontal ties between political movements. In this context, special attention is paid to the work of «near-party» political funds as structures formally independent of the parties, indirectly contributing to the implementation of their political programs – the key features of their cooperation with representatives of the Russian-speaking community are highlighted. The conclusion is made about the actualization of human rights issues in the framework of the interaction of the government with representatives of Russian civil society and the use of the latter as a resource for influencing political processes in Russia. The fact of the work of the German authorities with Russian supporters of the ideas of separatism and changes in the constitutional order of the Russian Federation living in Germany is also emphasized. The conclusions are of particular importance in the context of countering external interference in internal affairs and adapting Russia’s national security policy to new challenges and threats.