Germany Reportedly Issued a Visa to a Russian Spy This Summer Amid Sanctions
It has been revealed that the citizen of Russia, who has been classified as a spy, applied for a visa that would permit him entry to Germany earlier in July, AtoZSerwisPlus.de reports.
According to Spiegel, the suspected Russian spy applied for a visa in Moscow and presented an invitation letter from the Russian Consulate General in Leipzig. Nonetheless, during the examination of his documentation, the German authorities took into account the objections of the secret services and rejected his application.
After his application got rejected, the Russian side started negotiations and required that the case gets reconsidered once again. In addition, they also asked for a ‘benevolent examination’ from the German staff in Russia.
Spiegel explains that in August, the suspected Russian spy submitted a new visa application. During the second attempt, the German consular department decided to grant the visa to him.
The same source points out that the warning from the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution was overlooked due to an error. At the same time, it has been noted that the German authorities recognised the mistake and declared the visa invalid.
The German government expelled 40 suspected Russian spies shortly after Russia attacked Ukraine, and since then, the country has not been permitting entry to any Kremlin agent.
While Germany is applying strict rules for suspected spies, the country continues to offer protection to persecuted Russians as well as to those who oppose Putin’s regime.
Earlier in September, AtoZSerwisPlus.de reported that the German government is granting more residency permits to citizens of Russia who are persecuted for political reasons, under claims of international law, or for humanitarian reasons.
Deutsche Welle explained that those who can apply for residency permits are Russian human rights lawyers as well as people who had previously worked for organisations that are considered undesirable.
Moreover, Russians who publicly speak out about the war in Ukraine and members of the democratic opposition in Russia, and journalists who work for independent media are also eligible to apply for a residency permit.
According to the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees, the German authorities have granted around 240 residency permits to Russians since May. Among those who have been granted a residency permit, 144 of them are from the opposition in Russia, and the others are family members of the persecuted people.
