Moscow, Russian Federation (Weltexpress). ‘Don’t say: Tit for tat! I’ll pay everyone back for what they’ve done to me!’ What was true then is still true today. After the deputy military attaché of the Embassy of the Russian Federation (RF) in the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) was expelled on 22 January 2026 on charges of espionage, with the expulsion allegedly linked to the arrest of Ilona W. in Berlin, the RF Foreign Ministry in Moscow has now announced that, firstly, the FRG bears ‘full responsibility’ for the escalation and, secondly, the accusation of espionage is ‘completely unfounded’.
‘We consider the measures taken by the German side to be a cheap provocation aimed at discrediting the Russian diplomatic mission in Germany,’ a statement said. It said the espionage allegation was ‘unfounded and fabricated.’ In Moscow, there is also talk of ‘espionage hysteria’ that has been fabricated.
What is more, a citizen of the warring state of the FRG who worked for the FRG embassy in Moscow is now being expelled for espionage. A ‘symmetrical response’ has been given. The FRG ambassador was summoned. He was informed of a ‘strong protest’ and that an employee of the FRG embassy in Moscow had been declared persona non grata.
‘We have pointed out that there is no evidence for Berlin’s unfounded accusations against’ the deputy military attaché of the RF embassy in Berlin. The ‘espionage hysteria’ in the FRG is being fuelled at the behest of the government in Berlin. The RF ‘firmly rejects these accusations,’ the Foreign Ministry emphasised.
FRG Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul (CDU) rejected the accusations from Moscow. The expulsion was ‘completely unacceptable,’ according to Wadephul. Just as Moscow rejected the accusation from Berlin, Berlin rejected the accusation from Moscow. Wadephul also stated that the FRG reserved the right to take further repressive measures.
According to various media reports in the Federal Republic of Germany, the RF citizen expelled from the Federal Republic of Germany, who worked at the RF Embassy in Berlin, was Ilona W.’s commanding officer. Ilona W. is said to have collected material on political events and participants in political events, but also on the locations of the arms industry, drone testing and drone deliveries. This is basically journalistic activity. At WELTEXPRESS, research around the clock, seven days a week, is part of the business. We usually report publicly.
