Russia Expels 40 German Diplomats in a move against German Sanctions

The Russian Foreign Ministry has declared to expel 40 German diplomats as a counteraction against Germany’s decision to the expulsion of Russian diplomats earlier this month.      

During an interview, the Russian Foreign Minister asserted that it had suspended Germany’s ambassador in Moscow immediately and handed him a letter. Further, the ministry remarked it was a “symmetrical response” to the Foreign Minister of German, Annalena Baerbock’s decision to expel 40 Russian diplomats from Germany by the beginning of April.    

Germany Foreign Minister Baerbock stated that “the government has therefore decided today to declare undesirable a significant number of members of the Russian embassy who have worked here in Germany every day against our freedom, against the cohesion of our society,” Baerbock added.     

Russia framed the decision after discovering hundreds of corpses near Kyiv. More explicitly, authorities have informed that the victims were civilians who were fatally shot or executed, with the majority being abandoned in the streets or given temporary graves. 

According to the reports, the German Foreign Minister said in a statement. Baerbock again reinstated that the expelled diplomats represented a threat to 300,000 Ukrainian living in the country.      

“The 40 members of the Russian missions in Germany whom we expelled three weeks ago had not worked as diplomats for one single day while in Germany. Rather, these individuals had striven systematically for years to undermine our freedom and cohesion in our society,” the statement reads.

On the other hand, as the press release reads, the German diplomats in Russia ‘have done nothing wrong, despite the unusual circumstances there.

The statement is concluded with the Minister’s dedication to providing support for the staff members affected and their families with all the challenges this decision brings for them.

The Russian government has also declared ‘persona non-grata’ several people working in the Estonian embassy and closing consulates in St. Petersburg and Pskov.