Friday, February 6, 2026 - Russia has expelled a German diplomat in a tit-for-tat move, escalating tensions between Moscow and Berlin following a similar action taken by Germany last month.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry said on Thursday, February 5, that
it summoned the head of the German Embassy in Moscow to lodge a formal protest
and inform Berlin that a member of the embassy staff had been declared persona
non grata. The decision, Moscow said, was a direct response to Germany’s
expulsion of a Russian diplomat over alleged espionage. The ministry rejected
Germany’s accusations, describing them as fabricated and politically motivated
“It was emphasized that the unsubstantiated accusations of
espionage brought against him by the official Berlin authorities are completely
groundless and fabricated in the spirit of the ‘spy mania’ being whipped up in
Germany by the German authorities,” the ministry said.
Germany’s Foreign Minister, Johann Wadephul, criticised the
move while speaking during a visit to Brunei, calling Russia’s action
unjustified and unacceptable.
“The expulsion of a German diplomat from Russia is
completely unfounded and totally unacceptable,” he said, adding that Germany
“reserves the right to take further action.”
Wadephul confirmed that the expelled diplomat was part of
the German embassy’s military attaché staff in Moscow and accused Russia of
responding with escalation rather than diplomacy.
“While our diplomats adhere to the law, Russia relies on
escalation and espionage under the guise of diplomacy,” he said.
Moscow, however, described its decision as a “symmetrical
response” to Germany’s earlier move on January 22, when Berlin expelled an
employee of the Russian embassy over alleged spying. Russian authorities denied
the allegation and said Germany bears “full responsibility for the new
escalation in bilateral relations.”
Germany’s Foreign Office had previously summoned the Russian
ambassador in Berlin and declared a Russian diplomat persona non grata with
immediate effect, stating that espionage activities would not be tolerated.
According to German media sources, the expelled Russian official was the deputy
military attaché.
The dispute comes amid heightened security concerns across
Europe, where intelligence agencies have warned of increased Russian espionage
and sabotage activities linked to the war in Ukraine. Britain also expelled a
Russian diplomat earlier this week in a separate but similar reciprocal action.
Moscow has denied accusations that it is conducting a
coordinated espionage or sabotage campaign across Europe.
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