The German government announced on Wednesday that it will close four of Russia’s five consulates in the country in response to Moscow’s decision to limit the number of German officials in the country to 350, Reuters reported.

The executive, led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz, said Russia would be allowed to keep its embassy in Berlin and consulate general open, but Germany expects the rest of Russian diplomatic missions on its territory to close by the end of this year.

At the same time, Germany will close its consulates in Kaliningrad, Yekaterinburg and Novosibirsk, thus leaving only one consulate on the territory of Russia – in St. Petersburg. The German Embassy in Moscow will also remain open.

Berlin’s move underscores the sharp deterioration in bilateral relations between Russia and Germany since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year.

Tensions have increased over Moscow’s decision to limit the number of German officials allowed to work in Russia.

Germany condemns Russia’s unjustified decision

“This unjustified decision forces the federal government to make very significant cuts in all areas related to its presence in Russia,” a foreign ministry spokesman said in Berlin on Wednesday.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Moscow would respond to Berlin’s decision.

The traditionally close relationship between Germany and Russia, Berlin’s biggest supplier of natural gas and oil before the war in Ukraine, has crumbled since President Vladimir Putin launched Europe’s biggest military conflict since the end of World War II.

The German government is currently planning to recall hundreds of its employees from Russia after Moscow’s decision to impose an upper limit on their number, including employees of the prestigious Goethe Institute.

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