Russia summons German ambassador over lawmaker's meeting with Chechen outlaw

The Russian Foreign Ministry said on Monday it summoned German Ambassador Alexander Graf Lambsdorff over a meeting between a German lawmaker and former Russian citizen and wanted criminal Akhmed Zakayev.

The ministry said in a statement that a decisive protest was expressed to the ambassador over the meeting that took place in Kyiv.

"The Ambassador was issued a decisive protest in connection with a recent meeting in Kyiv, facilitated by the Zelensky regime, between a Bundestag deputy, member of the parliamentary committee on foreign affairs from the ruling Christian Democratic Union party, Roderich Kiesewetter and Akhmed Zakayev, the leader of the terrorist organization 'Chechen Republic of Ichkeria' banned in Russia and is on an international wanted list," it said.

According to the ministry, the German lawmaker "welcomed the anti-Russian activities" of members of this organization, who had actively participated in Ukraine's incursion into Russia's Belgorod and Kursk regions.

The ministry noted that Kiesewetter also urged Zakayev and his associates to actively cooperate with Berlin, including for the purpose of recruiting Russian emigrants living in Germany "to carry out operations aimed at destabilizing the socio-political situation" in Russia.

"Moscow regards this meeting between a German parliament deputy and notorious criminals as indisputable proof of the German authorities' intent to interfere in the internal affairs of Russia and create threats to Russia's national security, including through interaction with terrorist structures under the auspices of the Kyiv criminal regime," the ministry said.

The German side was warned about the detrimental consequences for itself of such actions. Hostile steps against Russia will inevitably receive an appropriate rebuff, according to the statement.

Zakayev was born in 1959 in Kazakhstan, where many Chechens were deported during the Soviet era. He trained as an actor and worked in theater in the Chechen capital, Grozny.

Zakayev became a significant field commander during the First Chechen War (1994-1996), rising to the rank of brigadier. Russia considers Zakayev a terrorist and has placed him on an international wanted list since 2001 on charges including armed rebellion, murder, and kidnapping. He was granted political asylum in the UK in 2003 and has lived in London ever since.