Alexander von Bismarck — a distant relative of the first chancellor of the German Empire, Otto von Bismarck — received the Pushkin Medal in the Kremlin personally from the hands of Russian President Vladimir Putin. This state distinction is awarded “for outstanding contributions to the rapprochement and mutual enrichment of cultures, nations and peoples.” In his speech of thanks, Alexander von Bismarck quoted a phrase often attributed to the “Iron Chancellor,” Otto von Bismarck: “When Germany and Russia are friends, Europe is doing well.” Historians and researchers have never found this phrase in Otto von Bismarck’s speeches, documents, letters or memoirs, but the Russian state media outlets covering the award were eager to quote it.
What Is the Relationship Between Alexander von Bismarck and Otto von Bismarck?
In Germany, Alexander von Bismarck has repeatedly been criticized for his close ties to Russia. In 2023, after the activities of the German-Russian “Petersburg Dialogue” forum were suspended because of Russia’s war against Ukraine, he even founded an alternative platform — the German-Russian “Bismarck Dialogue” forum.
Alexander von Bismarck is a distant relative of Otto von Bismarck. He was born in 1951 in the town of Reinbek, in the state of Schleswig-Holstein.
Public sources make it clear that the two belong to different branches of the same family. Their common ancestor lived several centuries before Otto von Bismarck, which means that Alexander is not a direct descendant of the “Iron Chancellor.”
By education, Alexander von Bismarck is a banking specialist, while professionally he is an entrepreneur. From 1998 to 2017, he was a member of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and was involved in municipal politics in the town of Stendal, in the state of Saxony-Anhalt. He left the party “without stating a reason,” as noted in the CDU archives. Through his lawyers, he himself said that he was ending his membership “as a sign of criticism” over a scandal in the 2014 local elections in Stendal. It is unclear why he made the decision three years after the incident.
When Did Alexander von Bismarck Begin Growing Closer to Russia?
It is impossible to determine exactly when Alexander von Bismarck began growing closer to Russia and whether this can be explained solely by his wife’s family ties to St. Petersburg. But after the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, German media outlets repeatedly criticized his position on the war.
Since 2023, Alexander von Bismarck has had a YouTube channel where he regularly publishes his own videos and interviews with people advocating the resumption of dialogue with Russia and an end to the war in Ukraine through negotiations, as well as with critics of European countries’ arms purchases. Some of the guests on his programs have a rather dubious reputation in Europe. This applies, for example, to the ultra-nationalist Russian philosopher Alexander Dugin.
Alexander von Bismarck and Pro-Russian Media
Since 2023, Alexander von Bismarck has also hosted his own segment on the television channel RT DE, which broadcasts from Moscow in German and is in fact the German-language version of the Russian state channel Russia Today (RT). The war in Ukraine and the related sanctions against Russia have been raised repeatedly on Alexander von Bismarck’s program on RT DE.
RT broadcasts in English, German, French and Spanish in the EU were banned by a decision of the Council of the EU on March 1, 2022 — very soon after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The justification stated that Russia was using these channels to spread propaganda that justified the war, posing a threat to order and security in the EU. A month earlier — on February 2, 2022 — the Commission for Licensing and Supervision of Radio and Television Programs in Germany banned RT DE broadcasts in the Federal Republic, arguing that the television channel did not have a license to broadcast in the country, which it required under the applicable legislation.
The online publication Berlin 24/7 is also linked to Otto von Bismarck’s relative — Alexander von Bismarck owns 40 percent of the capital in the company that operates the website. “In 2023, he contributed 10,000 euros toward the required 25,000 euros in share capital,” RND found. “What is published on the website consists of the classic narratives of the Russian government’s propaganda apparatus,” they also wrote.
In recent years, Alexander von Bismarck has actively called for the resumption of dialogue with Russia “on an equal footing” — primarily through the “Bismarck Dialogue” forum he founded. “I created the forum to bring together people who advocate diplomacy and peace. Unfortunately, German and European politics today lack diplomacy. The war can end only when you are ready to talk to all sides,”.
Did Alexander von Bismarck Know About the “Remigration” Plan?
Alexander von Bismarck was on the guest list for the notorious meeting in Potsdam in November 2023, which was attended by a number of supporters of far-right ideas, including politicians from the “Alternative for Germany.” As the German investigative website Correctiv wrote at the time, plans for “remigration” — the deportation of migrants from Germany, including naturalized citizens — were also discussed at the meeting.
Alexander von Bismarck later stated that he had not known in advance about the content of the discussions or who else had been invited to the event. Through his lawyers, he sent a message to MDR saying that he could not confirm that a discussion of a so-called “remigration” plan had taken place.
Source: www.dw.com