Response to Expulsion
Moscow accuses Baerbock of “russophobic hysteria”.
4/5/2022 9:59 p.m
The Russian foreign office sharply attacks Federal Foreign Minister Baerbock. It accuses her of hate propaganda and describes her course as anti-Russian. The expulsion of dozens of diplomats is a blow to “our connections with Germany”.
After the expulsion of dozens of Russian diplomats from Germany, Moscow severely attacked Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock. Baerbock maintains an “aggressive anti-Russian line” charged with particular cynicism, said Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova in Moscow. She was reacting to Baerbock’s decision the day before to declare the diplomats “undesirable persons”.
A total of 40 Russians working in Germany are to leave the country – “without any reasonable reasons,” as Zakharova put it. This is an unprecedented approach with the aim of “destroying an entire complex of bilateral relations”. Baerbock had accused the diplomats of having worked “every day here in Germany against our freedom, against the cohesion of our society”. That borders on “hate propaganda,” said Zakharova.
She announced a noticeable reaction to the confrontational move. It is a blow to “our connections with Germany”. The destructive consequences are solely the responsibility of the German side, stressed Zakharova. Berlin has once again openly shown its unfriendly course. Zakharova accused Baerbock of “russophobic hysteria”. The minister decided on the line against the background of the situation in the Kiev suburb of Bucha.
Zakharova again denied that Russian soldiers had killed defenseless and sometimes handcuffed civilians there. Ukraine accuses Russia of killing civilians and committing war crimes. Other EU countries also expelled Russian diplomats in response. Russia launched a war of aggression against Ukraine on February 24.