Russia expels 40 employees of German diplomatic institutions in Russia in response to a similar decision of Berlin in early April. This was reported by the Russian Foreign Ministry.

"The German ambassador was handed a note to declare "persona non grata" for forty employees of German diplomatic institutions in Russia as a symmetrical response to the above-mentioned decision of the German government," the report said.

The head of the German diplomatic mission in Moscow was pointed out that the Russian side considered unacceptable the statement of German Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs Annalena Berbock, "in which this step of the German authorities was motivated by absolutely false statements that the work of the mentioned employees was aimed at undermining 'German freedom' and 'unity of the German society' and also insinuations concerning the events in Ukraine.