The expulsions were announced by Russia a week ago, and the Kremlin spoke of more than 20 German diplomats affected. The “mass” expulsion of Russian embassy employees from Germany was cited as the reason.
The Federal Foreign Office said on Monday: “The federal government has been in contact with the Russian side in recent weeks with the aim of reducing the presence of Russian intelligence services in Germany.” As a result, members of the Russian representations in Germany left the country in mid-April. “The activities of these people were not consistent with their diplomatic status,” emphasized the Foreign Ministry in Berlin.