Moscow summoned German Ambassador Alexander Graf Lambsdorff on Friday to protest what it called Berlin’s “persecution” of Russian journalists, state media reported.
The move came after allegations from Russia’s top media official in Berlin, Sergei Feoktistov, who said German police had confiscated his family’s passports after he was ordered to leave the country. He claimed the passports were seized to prevent his family from going into hiding, according to the RIA Novosti news agency.
“The German ambassador was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry today,” the ministry said, according to RIA.
Tensions between Moscow and Berlin have deteriorated sharply since Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Germany has become one of Kyiv’s main backers, providing significant military and financial support.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova warned last week that countermeasures were being prepared and told German correspondents in Moscow to “get ready.”
Moscow has frequently accused Western countries of discriminating against Russian journalists and restricting Kremlin-linked media abroad. The EU banned the RT network in 2022, citing its role in spreading disinformation about the war in Ukraine.
Russia has retaliated by blocking dozens of Western media outlets and barring several foreign journalists from entering the country.
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