Several German diplomats left Russia on Monday, German press reported. Expelled individuals had been working "in accordance with their diplomatic status," according to the German Foreign Ministry.
The German government said last month that it had decided to expel Russian diplomats in order to reduce the number of Russian intelligence officers allegedly working in the country in violation of their official diplomatic status.
On April 22, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that Berlin decided to initiate a new wave of expulsions of employees of Russian diplomatic missions in the country. The Russian ministry also announced reciprocal measures, expelling German diplomats from Russia.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Sputnik in April that more than 20 German diplomats were expelled from Russia. According to Sputnik data, the number of Russian diplomats expelled from Berlin is over 20.