Overview

• On June 27, the Russian Foreign Ministry summoned German Ambassador Alexander Graf Lambsdorff to inform him of planned retaliatory measures.
• The action was triggered by Berlin’s immigration authority refusing to renew the residency permit of an employee at a Russian state media holding.
• Berlin officials based their decision on an interpretation of EU sanctions without coordination with federal authorities.
• The employee’s wife and child had their passports temporarily confiscated during the residency review.
• Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Marija Sacharowa had warned of countermeasures in response to Germany’s moves against Russian journalists.