Russia expels German diplomats in tit-for-tat move

Russia notifies the German ambassador to Moscow that it was expelling two German diplomats in retaliation for a similar move taken by Berlin.

The German envoy was summoned to the Russian foreign ministry and briefed about the pending expulsions on Monday, Reuters reported.

Germany's foreign office said the Russian side had told it that the expulsions were a reciprocal measure.

"This move comes as no surprise, but it is completely unwarranted from the federal government's perspective," it said in a statement. "Today's decision by Russia's foreign ministry puts renewed strain on the relationship."

Berlin had ejected the Russian officials less than a week earlier, citing a German court verdict that had found Moscow culpable in the alleged murder of a former Chechen militant in the German capital's Tiergarten park.

Russia's foreign ministry said the German court verdict was of a "clear political order" in nature.

"It was noted that the Russian side categorically rejects unfounded and detached-from-reality accusations that Russian public structures are accessory to this crime," the Russian ministry said in a statement.

Even before the expulsions, relations between Russia and Germany were tense over, what Berlin and other European Union members call, Moscow's plans to "invade Ukraine."

The European allies have cited a Russian "military buildup" on Ukraine's borders to try and justify their suspicions.

Moscow says it has a right to move its troops around its own territory as it sees fit.

MG