Russia expelling 40 employees of the German embassy

MOSCOW. April 25 (Interfax) - Russia is expelling 40 employees of the German Embassy in Russia, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Monday.

"Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to the Russian Federation Geza Andreas von Geyr was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry on April 25. [...] The German ambassador was given a note declaring 40 employees of German diplomatic missions in Russia persona non grata as a symmetrical response to the decision of the German government," the Russian Foreign Ministry said on its website.

"A resolute protest" was expressed to the head of the German diplomatic mission "in light of the openly unfriendly decision of the German government made on April 4, 2022, to declare 40 employees of Russian diplomatic missions in Germany persona non grata," the ministry said.

"It was emphasized that the Russian side finds unacceptable the statement made in its [the decision's] context by German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock explaining this step made by the German authorities with a completely false claim that the work of the aforementioned employees was aimed at undermining the 'freedom of Germany' and 'the unity of German society' and insinuations about the events in Ukraine," it said.

German media outlets said on April 4 that the German Foreign Ministry declared 40 employees of the Russian Embassy in Germany persona non grata.