Germany to shut down Russian consulates

BERLIN, June 01 (Reuters): Germany said on Wednesday it would shut down four out of five Russian consulates by revoking their licences, a tit-for-tat move after Moscow's decision to limit the number of German officials in Russia to 350.
The move represents a sharp downgrading of bilateral ties amid a wider collapse in relations since Russia's invasion of Ukraine early last year.
Russia denounced the proposed closures as ill-conceived and provocative and said it would respond.
Germany's foreign ministry accused Moscow of escalating tensions by imposing limits on numbers of German officials. "This unjustified decision is forcing the federal government to make very significant cuts in all areas of its presence in Russia," a spokesperson said.