Approved event from Hybrid War Tracker
Headline: Germany expels Russian diplomat over spying case
Short Summary: Germany expelled a Russian diplomat and summoned Russia's ambassador on January 22, 2026, over espionage allegations linked to Moscow's intelligence activities.
Extended Summary: On January 22, 2026, Germany announced the expulsion of a Russian diplomat and summoned the Russian ambassador in response to a spying case. The German Foreign Office confirmed that the expelled individual was accused of espionage activities related to Russian intelligence operations. The move followed ongoing concerns about Russian espionage in Germany, which Berlin says is part of broader hostile intelligence targeting diplomatic cover. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock stated that the action was a clear response to unsubstantiated espionage behavior by Russian diplomatic personnel. The espionage case involved allegations of spying linked to Kremlin interests, with the Federal Prosecutor's Office and the Federal Court of Justice involved in handling the matter according to German media. Additionally, there were considerations that these activities might relate to a Russian network operating in other European countries, such as Sweden. The German government emphasized that this expulsion was directly connected to the discovered intelligence threat and was part of ongoing efforts to counter Russian espionage operations within Europe.
Germany expelled a Russian diplomat and called in the Russian ambassador on January 22, 2026, citing espionage activities conducted by the diplomat under diplomatic cover. This diplomatic measure follows investigations by German federal prosecutors linking the diplomat to Russian intelligence operations. The German Foreign Office confirmed the expulsion was related to espionage activities threatening German national security, and emphasized ongoing vigilance against Russian covert intelligence efforts. This incident is part of broader tensions between Germany and Russia amid Russian espionage campaigns in Europe.
The article clearly states that Germany expelled a Russian diplomat due to espionage activities linked to Russian intelligence, explicitly naming Germany as location and linking to Russia as aggressor. The event is defensive action by Germany against aggressive espionage. Hence, classified as Russian aggressor espionage event and German defensive counter-espionage action. Classification confidence is high due to official German Foreign Office confirmation and involvement of federal prosecutors.
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