Russia summons German envoy over alleged contact with Chechen figure

Russia summoned Germany’s ambassador, Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, to the Foreign Ministry on Monday over alleged contacts between German politicians and individuals Moscow classifies as terrorists, officials said.

According to the ministry, the move was prompted by an alleged meeting in Kiev between conservative German lawmaker Roderich Kiesewetter and Akhmed Zakayev, a leading figure in the Chechen independence movement who is wanted by Russia on terrorism charges.

Kiesewetter visited Ukraine earlier this month. Russia’s Foreign Ministry said there he met a leader of the self-proclaimed Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, which it described as evidence of German interference in Russia’s internal affairs.

Kiesewetter, a member of Chancellor Friedrich Merz's Christian Democrats, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Russian ministry said Lambsdorff was warned of the "grave consequences of such actions."

Ahead of the meeting, Lambsdorff said he would comply with the summons but expressed scepticism over the accusations. “I consider it unlikely that the Russian side will be able to substantiate its allegations," he said via a spokeswoman.

Relations between Berlin and Moscow have been highly strained for years.

The so-called Chechen Republic of Ichkeria emerged after the collapse of the Soviet Union and declared independence from Russia in 1991 under leader Dzhokhar Dudayev, triggering a war with Moscow. Dudayev, who was blamed for terrorist attacks, was killed in a Russian missile strike in 1996.

Members of the movement are currently fighting alongside Ukrainian forces against Russia’s invasion and have also taken part in incursions into Russian border regions such as Kursk and Belgorod.