{
  "id": 8916821,
  "title": "Kremlin says AfD’s victory in Germany due in large part to lack of cheap Russian gas",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/21/kremlin-says-afds-victory-in-germany-due-in-large-part-to-lack-of",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-21T12:32:41.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Daily Maverick",
    "slug": "daily-maverick",
    "url": "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-09-21-kremlin-says-afds-victory-in-germany-due-in-large-part-to-lack-of-cheap-russian-gas/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "On Monday, the Kremlin attributed the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party's victory in a northeastern German state election to Germany's decision to no longer purchase cheap Russian gas and instead buy expensive gas from the United States. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that the result was the worst for Chancellor Friedrich Merz's conservative party since 1949, marking a decline in the competitiveness of the German economy. This decision led some Germans to seek alternatives to improve their situation, according to Peskov. The AfD party and the Russian envoy's leader, Kirill Dmitriev, declined to comment. Germany has been struggling to recover from the shutdown of the Russian gas pipelines, which were damaged by explosions in September 2022.",
  "summary": "The Kremlin said on Monday that the far-right Alternative for Germany's (AfD) first place in a state election in northeastern Germany was in large part due to Berlin no longer buying cheap Russian gas and choosing to buy expensive US energy instead.",
  "key_points": [
    "Kremlin attributes AfD victory to Germany's shift from Russian to U.S. gas",
    "Chancellor Merz's party suffers worst post-WWII electoral loss",
    "Germans seek alternatives amid economic competitiveness decline"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}