Russia’s Foreign Ministry said Thursday it summoned the German ambassador’s representative to inform them that a member of staff at the German Embassy had been declared persona non grata. The move was presented as a response to Germany’s decision last month to expel an employee of the Russian Embassy in Berlin on allegations of espionage, which Moscow rejects. The ministry called Thursday’s action a “symmetrical response,” blaming Germany for “full responsibility for the new escalation in bilateral relations.”
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul condemned the expulsion as “completely unacceptable,” saying it had no factual basis. “While our diplomats adhere to the law, Russia relies on escalation and espionage under the guise of diplomacy,” he said. Wadephul, on a tour of Oceania that included talks with Australian counterpart Penny Wong, said the German government would continue to respond firmly to Russian actions and reserved the right to take further measures if needed.
Speaking during a visit to Brunei, Wadephul said the staffer affected in Moscow was part of the embassy’s military attaché team. That assessment appears to match reporting by the German news agency dpa, which cited sources saying the Russian diplomat expelled on January 22 was the deputy military attaché in Berlin. German authorities linked that earlier expulsion to the arrest in Germany of a Ukrainian national accused of collecting sensitive information and passing it to Russia.
European security services have warned of an increased Russian espionage threat since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and reciprocal expulsions among NATO members have occurred in recent years.
Edited by: Jenipher Camino Gonzalez