(Read the full article on TASS.RU)

Russia declared two diplomatic employees of the German Embassy in Moscow persona non grata in response to Germany’s decision to expel two Russian diplomats following the verdict of the Berlin High Court in the case of the murder of Georgian citizen Zelimkhan Khangoshvili.

“On December 20, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Federal Republic of Germany to the Russian Federation, Geza Andreas von Geir, was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry. The German Ambassador was informed that two diplomatic employees of the German Embassy in Russia were declared persona non grata as a symmetrical response to the aforementioned unfriendly decision of the German government, and It was also emphasized that the Russian side will invariably adequately respond in a proportionate manner to any potential confrontational attacks by Berlin against us in the future, “the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement released on Monday.

The Foreign Ministry added that a “resolute protest” was expressed to the diplomat in connection with the unfriendly actions of the FRG. “It was indicated that the Russian side categorically rejects the unfounded and divorced from reality accusations of the involvement of Russian state structures in this crime, put forward as part of this verdict, which is in the nature of an explicit political order,” the Foreign Ministry concluded.