Russia-West relations, including Germany as one the country’s closest counterparties, are of great scientific interest. The article focuses on the evolution of Russia’s perception in German doctrinal documents and in A. Merkel’s speeches. Germany-Russia ties are unstable, encompassing both positive and negative connotations. The task to assess Russia’s image in German official sources is relevant. The methodology includes quantitative and qualitative methods. Content-analysis and mediametric analysis were used to assess Germany’s “aggressiveness index” towards Russia. Comparison method was chosen to compare the 2006 and 2016 German White Papers, as well as to trace the evolution of the Chancellor’s speeches. In the conclusion the outcomes on the dependence of Russia’s image in the official strategies of Germany and its leader’s speeches on the situation on the global arena are presented.