Because of murder of Khangoshvili, Germany expelled two diplomats of the Russian Embassy

 

Germany declared two diplomats working in the Russian Embassy persona non granta and expelled them from the country because of the murder of the Georgian citizen Zelimkhan Khangoshvili. According to Spiegel, both diplomats worked for the Russian intelligence service. 

According to the German media, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Germany called the Russian Ambassador Sergei Nechaev to the Ministry and handed nota to him. “The representatives of the Ministry stated that they took these measures after the Government of Russia failed to effectively cooperate with the German side to investigate the murder case,” Deutsche Welle reported. The Ministry requested the Ambassador improved cooperation of Moscow with Berlin, otherwise they would take stricter measures too. 

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia evaluated the expel of Russian diplomats from Germany as non-friendly, groundless step and expressed their concern over it.

On Wednesday, the Federal Prosecutor’s Office of Germany announced that they take responsibility to investigate the murder case of Zelimkhan Khangoshvili. Berlin's attorney general saying evidence points to Russian state involvement.

Zelimkhan Khangoshvili was killed in Berlin on August 23, 2019. He was going to Friday prayers in the mosque when a man on the bicycle shot him in the head. Khangoshvili died on the site. He was 40 and had applied for asylum in Germany. 

The German police shortly arrested the Russian citizen under the charge of intentional murder, who had Vadim Sokolov’s passport. Investigative group of journalists Belligcat believes the suspect is Vadim Krasikov. In 2014, Russia announced Krasikov wanted with regard to the murder of businessman but stopped search half a year later. 

Zelimkhan Khangoshvili fought against Russian in Chechen war. He left Georgia two years ago, after on May 28, 2015, he was badly wounded in the center of Tbilisi. Then Khangoshvili survived but the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia has not yet solved the attempted intentional murder of Zelimkhan Khangoshvili.