Russia’s Foreign Ministry said Thursday it summoned the German ambassador’s representative to notify them that a member of staff at the German Embassy had been declared persona non grata.
The ministry linked the step to Germany’s earlier decision to expel an employee of the Russian Embassy in Berlin last month on espionage allegations, which Russia rejects. Moscow described Thursday’s action as a “symmetrical response” and blamed Germany for “full responsibility for the new escalation in bilateral relations.”
Foreign Minister Wadephul calls expulsion ‘completely unacceptable’
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul denounced the move as “completely unacceptable,” saying it lacked factual basis. “While our diplomats adhere to the law, Russia relies on escalation and espionage under the guise of diplomacy,” he said.
Wadephul, who has been touring Oceania this week, including a meeting with his 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 necessary.
Speaking on the sidelines of a visit to Brunei, Wadephul said the affected staff member was part of the military attaché team at the embassy in Moscow. That appears to align with reporting from the German news agency dpa, which cited sources saying the Russian diplomat expelled on January 22 was the deputy military attaché in Berlin. That case was linked to the arrest in Germany of a Ukrainian national accused of collecting sensitive information and passing it to Russia.
Berlin detains German-Ukrainian woman for Russian espionage
Security services across Europe have warned of an increased Russian espionage threat since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and several reciprocal expulsions among NATO members have occurred in recent years.
Edited by: Jenipher Camino Gonzalez