Four out of five Russian consulates will close in Germany, RIA Novosti reports . According to the statement of German Foreign Ministry spokesman Christopher Burger, in addition to the one remaining consulate, the Russian Embassy in Berlin will continue its work.
The German authorities resorted to this measure in response to Russia's decision to reduce the presence of employees of German state institutions in the country. Because of this, German consulates in Kaliningrad, Novosibirsk and Yekaterinburg will be closed in the Russian Federation. At the same time, the German consulates in Moscow and St. Petersburg will continue to operate. In addition, Burger confirmed information about Moscow reducing the number of employees of German institutions in Russia to 350 people.
The representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, announced that in connection with the decision of Berlin, a statement from the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is expected in the near future.
On May 27, the Sueddeutsche Zeitung announced the expulsion of "hundreds" of German citizens working in the fields of culture and education from Russia. It should concern the teachers of the Friedrich Josef Haas School at the German Embassy, employees of the Goethe Institute, as well as diplomats and cultural mediators.
As the source of the German publication said, the German Foreign Ministry tried to dissuade the Russian side from taking such measures, but as a result, Moscow still approved the decision to expel, which Berlin considers "one-sided, unreasonable and incomprehensible."
In April, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced the mass expulsion of Russian diplomats from Germany. This step was explained in Berlin by the need to reduce the activity of Russian special services in the country. Before that, there was information that the German authorities suspected dozens of Russian diplomatic missions of espionage.