Moscow has targeted personnel in German cultural institutions in Russia in what the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung called a “diplomatic declaration of war.”
The German daily revealed on Saturday, May 27th, that the Kremlin had announced tighter limits on the number of people Germany can send to or employ in Russia at both its embassy and cultural institutions, such as the Goethe Institute language school. The new limits were put in place in April and go into effect on June 1st.
Though the German foreign ministry did not give specific numbers, it confirmed media reports that hundreds of German employees were to be expelled from Russia.
The ministry told AFP that the rule affects both Germans and local Russian employees. Germans will have to leave the country by June 1st. Although the Russians employed by German institutions will lose their jobs, they can remain in their homeland.
The cuts apply to the embassy and consulate as well as the German school, kindergartens, German teachers working in Russian schools, and the Goethe Institute.
The expulsion by Moscow marks another move in tit-for-tat diplomatic strikes between the two capitals, showing that Germany-Russian diplomatic relations continue to deteriorate.
In April, the two countries each expelled 40 employees from their respective embassies after declaring them personae non grata. The Süddeutsche Zeitung reports Germany attempting to talk Russia out of this second round of expulsions, but was unsuccessful.
“In view of this unilateral, unjustified, and incomprehensible decision, the Federal Government is now concerned with ensuring a minimum presence of intermediaries in Russia while also maintaining a diplomatic presence,” the German foreign ministry told Süddeutsche Zeitung.
While the German ministry did not speak of another retaliatory expulsion, it said it would aim to balance out in practice the number of Russians in Germany compared to those allowed in Russia.
In March 2022, several European countries expelled more than 40 Russian diplomats suspected of spying.
