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.
Category: Intelligence & Espionage
Subcategory: Human Intelligence (HUMINT)
Incident Type: Recruitment of locals
Country: Germany
Source report: www.dw.com/en/german…
