Russia decided to expel hundreds of German officials from country

Hundreds of German officials will be forced to leave Russia due to Moscow's decision to reduce the number of employees of German institutions in the country.

Source: European Pravda; Sueddeutsche Zeitung

Details: According to the news outlet, to a certain extent, this applies to diplomats but primarily to employees of the education and cultural spheres, such as teachers at a German school in Moscow and employees of the Goethe Institute.

According to preliminary information, about 350 people should remain.

The German Foreign Ministry refers to the decision taken by the Russian Foreign Ministry in April. It provides for the introduction of an upper limit on the number of personnel of diplomatic missions and German intermediary organisations in Russia.

"This limit, established by Russia since the beginning of June, requires a serious reduction in all areas of our presence in Russia," the German Foreign Ministry said.

Background: Moscow made its decision, probably in response to the German government's attempts to get rid of Russian intelligence officers disguised as diplomats. When a double-digit number of employees left Germany in April, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced "Berlin's hostile actions" and the consequences.

According to the German Foreign Ministry, a possible reaction from Berlin cannot be ruled out: "As for the upper limit of the Russian presence in Germany, the federal government will ensure that a real balance is achieved in practice."

The German Ministry of Foreign Affairs suspended an expensive major repair project at his ambassador's residence in Moscow due to the war in Ukraine.

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