Germany has decided to expel 40 diplomats at the Russian embassy in Berlin for suspected links to spy agencies, Bloomberg reports. The move also serves as a "first response" to the killings in the Kyiv suburb of Bucha.
"The federal government has therefore decided today to declare as persona non grata a significant number of members of the Russian Embassy who have worked every day against our freedom and against the cohesion of our society here in Germany," German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said in a statement.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"We will initiate further measures of response together with our partners; we will further tighten the existing sanctions against Russia; we will resolutely increase our support for the Ukrainian armed forces and we will also strengthen NATO's eastern flank," Baerbock added. The diplomats now have five days to leave the country.
Last week, Bloomberg had reported that Germany was considering expelling a "large number" of suspected Russian spies.
Later Monday, France's Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs announced it would also be expelling from the country numerous Russia diplomats "whose activities are contrary to our security interests," per Axios.
Over the weekend, Ukrainian soliders working to reoccupy the suburb of Bucha discovered mass graves filled with corpses and roads strewn with civilian bodies. International outrage and allegations of war crimes and genocide immediately followed the reports.
Moscow has "categorically denied" having killed any civilians in Bucha, Sky News reports, though Ukraine does not buy that claim.
-
Heavenly spectacle in the wilds of CanadaThe Week Recommends ‘Mind-bending’ outpost for spotting animals – and the northern lights
-
Facial recognition: a revolution in policingTalking Point All 43 police forces in England and Wales are set to be granted access, with those against calling for increasing safeguards on the technology
-
Codeword: December 14, 2025The daily codeword puzzle from The Week
-
Did Trump just end the US-Europe alliance?Today's Big Question New US national security policy drops ‘grenade’ on Europe and should serve as ‘the mother of all wake-up calls’
-
Is conscription the answer to Europe’s security woes?Today's Big Question How best to boost troop numbers to deal with Russian threat is ‘prompting fierce and soul-searching debates’
-
Trump peace deal: an offer Zelenskyy can’t refuse?Today’s Big Question ‘Unpalatable’ US plan may strengthen embattled Ukrainian president at home
-
Vladimir Putin’s ‘nuclear tsunami’ missileThe Explainer Russian president has boasted that there is no way to intercept the new weapon
-
The Baltic ‘bog belt’ plan to protect Europe from RussiaUnder the Radar Reviving lost wetland on Nato’s eastern flank would fuse ‘two European priorities that increasingly compete for attention and funding: defence and climate’
-
How should Nato respond to Putin’s incursions?Today’s big question Russia has breached Nato airspace regularly this month, and nations are primed to respond
-
Russia’s war games and the threat to NatoIn depth Incursion into Poland and Zapad 2025 exercises seen as a test for Europe
-
The mission to demine UkraineThe Explainer An estimated quarter of the nation – an area the size of England – is contaminated with landmines and unexploded shells from the war
