Earlier, Süddeutsche Zeitung wrote about the possible expulsion of 20 diplomats from Germany due to cooperation with special services
Germany may expel up to 100 employees of Russia’s diplomatic agencies this week, the Bild newspaper writes.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz instructed to study the issue of the expulsion of Russian diplomats, the newspaper said.
RBC sent a request to the press service of the Russian Embassy in Germany.
On April 1, Süddeutsche Zeitung wrote about the possible expulsion of 20 diplomats due to cooperation with special services. According to the publication, the political director of the German Foreign Ministry, Tjorven Bellman, spoke with colleagues from the G7 countries about a “package of solutions”, which may include the revocation of accreditations from employees of the Russian Embassy. The issue was discussed by the Chancellery, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, but the government doubted whether there was a point in expulsion.
Western countries have begun actively expelling Russian diplomats against the background of Russia’s military operation in Ukraine. Among them were Slovakia, Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and North Macedonia.
Poland expelled 45 Russian employees and froze the embassy’s accounts. The Netherlands decided to expel 17 Russians. The Belgian authorities expelled 21 diplomats from the consulate in Antwerp and the embassy in Brussels, Ireland refused the work of four Russian employees, the Czech Republic refused one.
The Russian Foreign Ministry promised to take retaliatory measures and has already expelled diplomats from Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania. The Polish Embassy in Moscow had its accounts frozen.
The representative of the Ministry, Maria Zakharova, called the series of expulsions an attempt to punish Russia politically. «We are well aware that <..."this is a demonstrative position of the collective West, accusing us of creating a crisis," Zakharova said. According to her, Russia has failed to counter information and political attacks in these countries.
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