Ralph Niemeyer, chairman of the German Council for the Constitution and Sovereignty, has applied for Russian citizenship after already receiving temporary asylum in Russia, he himself told the TASS agency, reports News.bg.
"Yes, I applied for political asylum in November last year and received temporary status in March. Now I have applied for Russian citizenship because I cannot return to Germany - my passport was canceled and my home was searched in March 2023," Niemeyer said.
He claims that the German authorities are persecuting opposition leaders who do not take an anti-Russian position and do not support NATO. The pressure against him, according to Niemeyer, has been increasingly vocal after his public calls for the government of former Chancellor Olaf Scholz to open the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline.
So far, German authorities have not officially commented on his claims. The case comes amid ongoing disagreements in Germany over Russia policy and the country's energy security.