The new foreign policy spokesman for the AfD parliamentary group in the Bundestag, Matthias Moosdorf, now teaches part-time at a university in Moscow. At “standard fees,” he assures us.
The AfD parliamentary group’s new foreign policy spokesman, Matthias Moosdorf, has been an honorary professor in Russia since September. In addition to his mandate in the Bundestag, the 59-year-old will now teach for a fee at the internationally renowned Moscow Gnessin University of Music. Moosdorf confirmed corresponding information from t-online. The school is close to the Kremlin and represents its positions to the outside world even in times of war.
This year, Moosdorf succeeded Petr Bystron, who is being investigated on suspicion of money laundering and bribery, as the AfD’s foreign policy spokesman. According to media reports, Bystron is said to have received money from the pro-Russian disinformation network “Voice of Europe”.
“By taking on the honorary professorship, I would like to send a sign of understanding and give the young people there the feeling that they are not left behind in Europe,” Moosdorf told t-online. “Music knows no ideological boundaries.”
The title was awarded to Moosdorf, who was a professional musician and cellist before his time in the Bundestag, in September in Moscow. Photos from the event can be seen on the Gnessin Academy homepage. In an accompanying message, the school’s principal welcomed Moosdorf with warm words: “For us, this is really a great honor, a great joy!” it says.
When asked by t-online, Moosdorf explains that he was in Moscow for three days in September and gave “a kind of inaugural lecture” at the Gnessin Academy. According to Moosdorf, it is not yet clear how much the position will be paid. “The structure of the further contract is still open, but it is based on fees that are completely customary internationally,” he said. He intends to teach chamber music to ensembles in Moscow “once a quarter for several days.”
On his trip to Russia, Moosdorf also gave a concert as part of the Tchaikovsky Festival in St. Petersburg. The festival touts the event as a “symbol of collaboration between the strongest forces in the world of academic music.” The title of the concert was: “Multipolar Music: Masters of the World Stage in the Hermitage.”
The term “multipolar world order” is widespread in right-wing and right-wing extremist circles and promotes Germany’s move away from Western democracies towards authoritarian powers such as Russia and China.
University criticized for war propaganda
The Gnessin Academy, for which Federal Representative Moosdorf will now work, is considered a training ground in classical music circles. She is close to the Kremlin and made headlines in spring 2022 for war propaganda.
One of its leaders appeared at a concert with students wearing a “Z” on his sweater, just 12 days after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began. The video of the concert was later released under the title “MuZikalisches Opfer”. In Russian propaganda, the “Z” stands for support for Putin’s war goals in Ukraine.
Star violinist Roman Mints, a graduate of the Gnessin Academy, criticized the performance as “horrible manipulation,” as Deutsche Welle reported. “For me, this case is unfortunately significant: our school is, in a sense, the Russian state in miniature,” said Mints. According to the report, parents in chat groups also sharply criticized the instrumentalization of their children.
This is not an obstacle for Moosdorf. “I can’t see any political orientation of the Gnessin Academy,” he told t-online. “I’m not interested in her either.” His work applies “exclusively to music as a global language of reconciliation and understanding.”