German politician from far-right AfD may be expelled from party for participating in war on Ukraine’s side
Tim Schramm, 22, who serves as the deputy head of the local branch of the pro-Russian far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in Wuppertal, may be expelled from the party because of his involvement in the war on the side of Ukraine. About this reported the German publication Welt, referring to the official statement of the regional party leadership.
As it turned out, Tim Schramm served in the Ukrainian defense forces for several months in 2025, which caused a negative reaction from the party leadership. According to Welt, the regional leadership has already initiated the procedure for his expulsion, explaining it as “extremely harmful behavior for the party.” In particular, he is criticized for the fact that public statements about participation in hostilities undermine the foundations of the party and damage its image.
In a conversation with Nius, Schramm himself said that he first came to Ukraine in 2022 as a volunteer. Despite an attempt to join the International Legion, he was not accepted then. However, in 2024, he managed to get into the Territorial Defense Forces thanks to personal connections. He claims that he took part in hostilities in the east of Ukraine.
According to him, the combat experience was real:
“We opened fire, came under fire, used drones – and we were also attacked by drones. I can’t say more for security reasons.”
Schramm claims that after his return he did not intend to advertise his participation in the war in order to avoid accusations of self-promotion. At the same time, according to him, some colleagues in the party treated this with understanding.
The situation was sharply criticized by the influential AfD representative Neuhoff, known for his pro-Russian views. In Welt’s commentary, he compared Schramm’s actions to the behavior of representatives of the radical neo-Nazi group Third Way. In response, Schramm reprimanded him with a similar analogy: according to him, Neuhoff’s actions are more reminiscent of the style of Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party.
The media also published photos of shells with inscriptions, which, according to journalists’ assumptions, belong to Schramm: “Hello to all Russophiles” and “Go to hell! Greetings from Wuppertal.”
