The German ambassador in Moscow, Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, was called in by Russia on Monday. The Russian Foreign Ministry stated that the basis for the summons was the alleged support from a German Member of Parliament for a Chechen “terror organization” accusations which the German government dismissed as groundless.
Specifically, CDU foreign policy politician Roderich Kiesewetter was accused of reportedly meeting with the leader of the banned group, the “Chechen Republic of Ichkeria” in Kyiv. Russia claimed that Kiesewetter supported the group’s “anti-Russian activities”. The Russian Foreign Ministry interpreted this alleged meeting as clear evidence that German authorities are planning to interfere in Russia’s internal affairs, thereby posing a threat to Russia’s national security.
This is not the first time Lambsdorff has faced such scrutiny; he was previously summoned by the Russian Foreign Ministry in June regarding alleged “persecution” of Russian journalists within Germany. At that time, the German Federal Foreign Office rejected the accusations.