The Ministry of the Interior of the Federal State of Lower Saxony, located in the north of Germany, warned the local police about taking private trips to Russia, reported German broadcasting company Deutsche Welle.

The Ministry has become aware of several cases where German policemen were detained in Russia and subjected to interrogations about their official duties.

Earlier, the publication Focus reported that, apparently, an incident that occurred with three German policemen in St. Petersburg has raised concern.

Law enforcement officers were on a private trip, taking a cruise on the Baltic Sea. When they debarked in St. Petersburg, Russian border guards detained them, despite the fact that their visas were valid, and wanted to know about their activities and operations of their police department. As Focus points out, the policemen were pressured “in connection with suspicions of possible espionage.”

According to the publication, citing sources in the Berlin security service, this was not the only case when German state workers were pressured by Russian border guards.

In this regard, the Ministry of the Interior of Lower Saxony advised the police not to reveal their profession when traveling to Russia. However, the Federal Ministry of Internal Affairs believes that such an approach could be counterproductive; if their profession is discovered during the border check, the police could face charges of espionage.

  German police, Germany, Russia

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