MOSCOW — Russia's Foreign Ministry ordered a group of German diplomats to leave the country on Wednesday, deepening a diplomatic rupture triggered by Berlin's closure of the Russian Consulate General in Bonn. The ministry summoned Germany's ambassador to formalise the expulsions.

The move followed Moscow's decision this week to shut the German consulate and Goethe-Institut cultural centres on Russian territory. Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, described the measures as a proportionate response to what she called Berlin's "hostile" steps against Russian missions in Germany.

Germany's Federal Foreign Office in Berlin confirmed it had received the Russian protest note and said it regretted Moscow's decision. A spokesperson said the closure of the Bonn consulate had been prompted by concerns over Russian intelligence activity, and that Berlin reserved the right to respond further.

The reciprocal closures mark the sharpest downturn in German-Russian relations since the mass expulsions that accompanied the war in Ukraine. Both governments have steadily reduced diplomatic representation, leaving only skeleton staff at their respective embassies in Berlin and Moscow.

Analysts at the German Council on Foreign Relations said the latest exchange would further curtail consular services for tens of thousands of Russian and German nationals. They signalled that no thaw was likely while fighting continued in Ukraine despite recent ceasefire discussions.