Germany expels Russian diplomats over state-sponsored assassination

A Berlin court has ruled that a 2019 assassination of a Georgian citizen in Berlin was ordered by Russia, resulting in two employees of the Russian embassy being declared “persona non grata.”

“This murder by order of the state … constitutes a serious violation of German law and the sovereignty of the Federal Republic of Germany,” said new Foreign Minister and Green co-leader Annalena Baerbock.

On 23 August 2019, a man of Georgian origin, who had fought against Russia during the second Chechen war in the 2000s, was executed in broad daylight. The court found that the crime was committed at the behest of Russian state institutions. The murderer was sentenced to life in prison.

“The act was meticulously prepared by aides stationed in Berlin,” said the leading judge as he announced the ruling. The Russians expelled were said to have been part of the operation. The Russian ambassador has been ordered to appear for a conversation following the court ruling.

As Chancellor Olaf Scholz was in Berlin presenting his government’s priorities to Parliament ahead of Thursday’s European Council in Brussels, the ruling comes at a time when the EU’s focus is on Russia and its actions near the Ukrainian border.

Once again, Scholz will be pressed to explain why he continues to uphold his commitment to the contentious Nord Stream 2 pipeline.

(Nikolaus J. Kurmayer  | EURACTIV.de)