Merkel was famously soft on Putin. She was definitely an apologist and perhaps a pocket ally. [1] While she was in power the AfD (the Russians' populist proxy party) was curiously held at bay at the polls. She's tied for second longest-serving chancellor after Bismarck.

The new chancellor Scholz is much less Russian-friendly. Perhaps unsurprisingly, his favorability numbers are in the gutter and the AfD is surging.

[1] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/05/germany-angela...