The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced this Saturday the expulsion of “more than twenty” German diplomats as a “retaliatory measure” for a similar measure previously taken by the Bavarian government after communicating the freight of “a flight” from Berlin with presence of “members of the embassy” among the passengers.
“We strongly condemn these actions by Berlin, which continues to destroy (…) the entire spectrum of Russian-German relations, including its diplomatic dimension,” was the argument offered by Russian diplomatic spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on Zvezda television.
According to Russian diplomacy, “despite their repeated statements that they did not wish to make this situation public, the German side has violated its own directive by bringing up to date representatives of the media, regularly used to prepare ‘controlled leaks’ and disinformation campaigns. “.
symmetric reactions
The fact is that Germany, a close economic partner of Russia before the military offensive in Ukraine, has since moved away from Moscow as evidenced by the financial and military support offered to Kiev in the armed conflict.
It was at the end of January that Berlin finally agreed to send a substantial number of its Leopard tanks to the Ukrainian government. Something that was a turning point in Western military support.
Russian espionage
Since the start of the offensive in Ukraine, Russian espionage activities in Germany have taken on a scale rarely equaled in recent years.
And, in response, the German intelligence services have raised their alert level. In the spring of 2022, Berlin expelled 40 Russian diplomats who, according to government sources, “posed a threat to their security.”
Subsequently, on October 18, the head of the German cybersecurity agency, Arne Schönbohm, was fired, after the publication by the local press of his proximity to a cybersecurity consulting association suspected of having contacts with the Russian intelligence services.
And a month later, a German reserve officer received a suspended prison sentence of one year and nine months in Düsseldorf (west) for spying for Russia.
