Russia summons German envoy over alleged mistreatment of Journalists

(MENAFN) Russia’s Foreign Ministry summoned German Ambassador Alexander Lambsdorff on Friday to express its protest over what it claims is the mistreatment of Russian journalists working in Germany.

Officials in Moscow informed the ambassador that retaliatory steps would be taken in response to Berlin’s actions. According to the Russian side, the German government had previously been warned about its treatment of Russian media personnel, which Moscow views as unjust and in violation of press freedom commitments.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova pointed out that the rationale for summoning Lambsdorff had already been made public the day before. Reacting to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s statement that he was unaware of the reason behind the summons, Zakharova blamed it on poor internal coordination.

“The reason for the summons was stated a day earlier,” she said via Telegram. “But since, as it turned out, the German ambassador does not speak Russian and went to get a translator, it seems German diplomats did not convey this information to the chancellor.”

A diplomatic insider reportedly told Russian media that Lambsdorff could not follow the discussion due to the language barrier and left briefly to obtain an interpreter.

Moscow has repeatedly criticized Germany for what it characterizes as arbitrary restrictions on Russian state media and journalists, asserting that such actions run counter to international norms on media freedom.

As of now, the German government has not publicly responded to the accusations or the details of the diplomatic meeting.

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