Saxony-Anhalt held one of Germany’s most consequential state elections on Sunday, with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) securing a decisive lead that could make it the first far-right state government since World War II. In the days before the vote, a wave of false and misleading claims flooded social media, alleging fraud, vote-rigging, and procedural irregularities.
DW Fact Check has traced these tactics to Matryoshka, also known as Operation Overload—a Russian-linked influence operation targeting German elections. Below is a breakdown of recent claims and their veracity.
Fake Video of AfD Ballot Destruction
A post viewed 10,000 times on X, originating from a QAnon-associated account, claimed that election workers were recorded destroying ballots cast for the AfD. The one-minute video shows a white-gloved man unpacking ballots from red envelopes, marking black Xs through three AfD-selecting ballots while setting aside a CDU ballot, with an off-screen voice saying in German, “these are OK.”
The video was widely shared across X and YouTube in both German and English. DW Fact Check verdict: False.
Several indicators reveal the video is staged. All three crossed-out ballots bear the same name. They lack a hole punch in the upper right corner—a requirement under Saxony-Anhalt regulations to enable templates for blind or visually impaired voters. Additionally, the envelopes are already unsealed. The Gnida Project, a Russian disinformation watchdog, confirmed the video is part of the Storm-1516 campaign, a unit controlled by Russia’s GRU military intelligence, which was also active during Germany’s 2025 federal election.
Fabricated Reports of CDU Fraud
Multiple posts claimed the CDU was committing fraud in the Saxony-Anhalt election. One post alleged that social media pages of deceased residents were being used for CDU campaigning, while another cited a spoofed DW video claiming non-existent citizens would vote by post for the CDU.
DW Fact Check reviewed five videos following an identical template: approximately one minute long, posted by accounts with zero followers and minimal activity. Each featured logos of reputable news outlets—including DW, ARD, WIRED, and BBC—and alleged CDU misconduct. Claims ranged from the CDU using Nazi soldier names to register fake ballots to residents receiving campaign messages from deceased relatives. Each video concluded with a call to share the content widely.
One video falsely cited T-Online disinformation reporter Lars Wienand as having “obtained evidence” of CDU rigging. Wienand confirmed to DW he had reported nothing of the sort, stating, “It’s not the first time that suspected Russian disinformation had misused my name and image.”
Julia Smirnova, a disinformation expert at the Center for Monitoring, Analysis and Strategy, told DW the posts were part of the Matryoshka campaign, noting that reach was “mostly inauthentic.” DW Fact Check previously identified over 180 fake posts on X, Bluesky, and TikTok using established media formats to spread fabricated allegations about German politicians.
Misleading Claim About Early Ballot Counting in Halle
A post on X by a right-wing journalist, viewed over 160,000 times, claimed that absentee voting ballots in Halle were being counted before the 6 p.m. deadline, calling it “blatantly illegal.” The post included a screenshot from German newspaper ZEIT’s liveblog, headlined “Counting of absentee ballots from 60 polling districts begins in Halle-Neustadt.”
DW Fact Check verdict: Misleading.
The screenshot accurately reflected a ZEIT liveblog entry published at 3:15 p.m. However, ZEIT reporter clarified to DW that the post described only “preparatory tasks,” not actual ballot counting. The newspaper later issued a transparency note correcting the error, stating that preparations were underway but counting had not begun. Under Saxony-Anhalt state election regulations, official counting cannot start until polls close at 6 p.m., though ballots may be opened in advance to facilitate the process.
The AfD’s Path to Power
Despite the false claims of ballot destruction, the AfD won a historic share of the vote on Sunday. Analysts note the party’s success reflects broader shifts in German politics, with far-right messaging gaining traction amid economic and immigration concerns. The disinformation campaigns appear designed to undermine confidence in the electoral process and amplify division ahead of what could be a landmark election.
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