Dragging Politics into the Family: Russia Calls Out Germany over State Media Correspondents
Russia summons the German ambassador for a meeting
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In a heated spat over the handling of correspondents for Russian state media in Germany, Moscow has put the German ambassador, Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, in the hot seat with a summons. The reason? Russia's annoyance over what it believes is Germany's mistreatment of its journalists.
According to Tass, the state-run Russian news agency, Lambsdorff was summoned to be briefed on Russia's reprisal actions in response to the alleged mistreatment of Russian journalists in Berlin[1][3][4]. A spokesperson for Tass broke the news.
The tipping point seems to have been an incident involving Sergei Feoktistov, the man heading Russia’s state media in Berlin. Apparently, German police took away Feoktistov's family's passports, supposedly to stop them from hiding after Feoktistov was asked to leave Germany. Russia calls this move a malicious effort to intimidate its media representatives and their families[1][3][4].
Moscow isn't happy with the way Germany has been treating its journalists, viewing it as a deliberate breach of media freedom and a step towards arbitrariness. The Russian government alleges that Germany is using coercion and propaganda to tarnish the reputation of Russian journalists and force them to prematurely wrap up their work and depart[1][4].
This contentious situation can be traced back to the deterioration of relations between Russia and Germany, following Russia’s intrusion into Ukraine in 2022. Ever since, Germany has been a steadfast backer of Ukraine, offering both military and financial aid. In response, the European Union, including Germany, revoked Russia's state broadcaster, Russia Today, accusing it of peddling Kremlin disinformation in 2022[1][3]. As a consequence, Russia has tightened access to Western media and prohibited several Western journalists from entering Russia, creating a vicious cycle of reciprocal media restrictions and tension[1][3].
In a nutshell, the ongoing dispute encompasses:- Confiscation of passports from the families of Russian media correspondents by German police.- Moscow's official diplomatic protest and summoning of the German ambassador.- Russia's warning of and preparation for retaliatory actions against German media personnel in Russia.- Accusations by Russia of systematic interference with media freedoms.- The underlying strain in Russo-German relations due to the Ukraine crisis and mutual media bans.
These recent events suggest a significant escalation in the media-related diplomatic spat between the two countries, with Moscow hinting at firm countermeasures ahead[1][3][4].
[1] Sputnik International (2023). Russia warns of retaliatory moves against German state media. [online] Available at: https://sputniknews.com/two-way/202506271063250984-russia-germany-germans-embassy-moscow-journalists/
[3] TASS (2025). Russia summons German ambassador over German authorities' actions targeting Russian media correspondents. [online] Available at: https://tass.com/world/1327951
[4] Deutsche Welle (2025). Russia summons German ambassador over treatment of journalists. [online] Available at: https://www.dw.com/en/russia-summons-german-ambassador-over-treatment-of-journalists/a-62529994
The Commission, the Council, and the European Parliament might discuss the general-news surrounding the escalating politics between Russia and Germany, as the latter has confiscated the passports of family members of Russian media correspondents in Germany, a move that Russia views as a deliberate breach of media freedoms and an act of intimidation. In response, Russia has threatened to take retaliatory actions against German media personnel, heightening tensions in the ongoing dispute between the two countries.
