Moscow responds to Berlin’s reprisals by summoning German diplomat

Russia summoned Germany’s chargé d’affaires in Moscow, Bernd Finke, one day after Berlin announced reprisals over an explosive-laden drone incident at Leipzig/Halle Airport in early August. Moscow said the meeting followed “anti-Russian actions and statements” by German authorities.

Finke spent about an hour at Russia’s Foreign Ministry before leaving the building, according to TASS. The summons came after the German government formally assigned responsibility for the airport incident to Russia and announced a series of countermeasures.

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anti-Russian actions and statements

Germany said it would close the Russian Federation’s Consulate General in Bonn from Sept. 18. Berlin also decided to terminate the agreement governing Russia House in Berlin and tighten entry checks for Russian citizens.

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serious mistake

Russian President Vladimir Putin sharply criticized the German measures, calling them another “serious mistake” by authorities in Berlin. He said the decisions ran against the interests of the German people and linked them, in part, to domestic political circumstances and Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s position.

Deputy Foreign Minister Aleksandr Grushko said Germany had chosen “the path of escalation.” He suggested Moscow could consider lowering the level of diplomatic relations, while adding that such a move would not rule out continued diplomatic efforts. The article also recalled that Romania’s chargé d’affaires in Moscow, Liliana Burda, had recently been summoned amid worsening ties and a series of drone incidents.

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the path of escalation