Neutral
Friend or foe of Russia
194 mentions over the last 7 days in
- 28%Hostile to Russia54 articles
- 72%Neutral139 articles
- 1%Friendly to Russia1 article
Which side of Russia each article places Friedrich Merz on. Neutral includes articles that do not relate Friedrich Merz to Russia at all. Method
1.4%of all news mentions Friedrich Merz194 of 14,317 articles in the last 7 days
54 : 1Hostile to friendly54 articles hostile to Russia, 1 friendly
56.7%cast as declining, the most common role110 of 194 mentions
Daily Activity
Mentions of Friedrich Merz per day, newest first
21 September (so far): 44 mentions, 7 hostile, 36 neutral, 1 friendly.
20 September: 30 mentions, 2 hostile, 28 neutral, 0 friendly.
19 September: 18 mentions, 7 hostile, 11 neutral, 0 friendly.
18 September: 31 mentions, 9 hostile, 22 neutral, 0 friendly.
17 September: 17 mentions, 7 hostile, 10 neutral, 0 friendly.
16 September: 13 mentions, 5 hostile, 8 neutral, 0 friendly.
15 September: 34 mentions, 13 hostile, 21 neutral, 0 friendly.
How Russian media writes about Friedrich Merz
Written by a language model on 21 September 2026, only from the articles and ratings collected here. It describes the coverage; it does not vouch for what the outlets claim. Method
German politician Friedrich Merz featured in Russian coverage of reported CDU election losses and speculation about his departure. Life.ru and Vedomosti reported that his party won 4.9% in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, missing the state parliament threshold, while AfD took 38.2%. Gazeta.ru relayed possible routes to his removal, but also a CDU deputy’s dismissal of resignation speculation. Moskovsky Komsomolets and Life.ru relayed reports of EU officials’ concern about his position. Several outlets carried Geert Wilders’s mockery, while Life.ru, Lenta.ru and Vzglyad repeated Kirill Dmitriev’s description of the result as a humiliation.
Across 201 articles from 13 outlets over the last 30 days, Merz was presented neutrally toward Russia in 142, as hostile in 58 and as friendly in one. The dominant role was declining, assigned in 113 articles; he was presented as ridiculed in 18 and as a threat in 14. Smaller numbers portrayed him as a victim, successful or a partner. Lenta.ru had 16 articles presenting him as hostile out of 34, compared with seven out of 46 at Moskovsky Komsomolets. Life.ru carried 12 such articles out of 36, and EADaily nine out of 34.
Recent Articles
210 mentions of Friedrich Merz
210 articles.
Neutral
Die Linke, led in Berlin by Turkish-German lawyer Elif Eralp, reportedly won about 25% of the vote, potentially making her the city’s first mayor of Turkish descent.
Neutral
AfD co-leader Tino Chrupalla urged Chancellor Friedrich Merz to visit Moscow for talks aimed at reducing escalation and ending the war in Ukraine.
Neutral
Euractiv reports EU capitals are concerned that setbacks for Chancellor Friedrich Merz and the rise of AfD could lead Germany to cut contributions to the EU budget.
Neutral
Bloomberg reports CDU leaders expect German Chancellor Friedrich Merz may resign after regional election defeats.
Neutral
AfD co-leader Alice Weidel called the CDU’s state election results a rebuke to Chancellor Friedrich Merz and criticized its policies.
Neutral
Political analyst Alexander Rahr said Chancellor Friedrich Merz will use all means to retain power after CDU election setbacks and has no plans to resign.
Neutral
AfD won Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania’s election with 38.2%; CDU missed the state parliament for the first time, winning 4.9%.
Neutral
EU leaders criticize the proposed seven-year budget but refuse cuts to defense, competitiveness or agriculture, Antonio Costa said.
Neutral
Political analyst Aleksandr Kamkin outlined three legal scenarios for German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s removal, including a no-confidence vote, party replacement or coalition collapse.
Neutral
Friedrich Merz’s CDU failed to clear 5% in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, while AfD won 38.2%. Merz called it a disaster but said he would remain chancellor.
Neutral
AfD official Leif-Erik Holm said Chancellor Friedrich Merz could leave office by end-2026 after the CDU's poor state election result.
Neutral
AfD co-leader Alice Weidel said the CDU’s defeat in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern was a rebuke to Chancellor Friedrich Merz and his government’s policies.
Neutral
AfD leader Tino Chrupalla urged Chancellor Friedrich Merz to visit Moscow and resume diplomacy with Russia after the party’s regional election gains.
Neutral
CDU deputy Guenter Krings dismissed speculation that Chancellor Friedrich Merz could resign after the party’s poor election results in Berlin and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
Hostile to Russia
AfD won 38.2% in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, while CDU received 4.9%, its worst state election result since 1949. A political analyst said other parties may block an AfD coalition.
Neutral
CDU deputy Guenter Krings dismissed speculation about Chancellor Friedrich Merz resigning after the party failed to enter Mecklenburg-Vorpommern's state parliament.
Hostile to Russia
Friedrich Merz’s party was expected to fare poorly in Berlin and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern local elections, though it won 18.8% in Berlin, ahead of AfD’s 16.3%.
Friendly to Russia
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Germany’s loss of competitiveness is largely due to ending purchases of cheaper Russian gas.
Neutral
