Russia announced on Thursday that it plans to withdraw from a 1996 military-technical cooperation agreement with Germany, citing a breakdown in bilateral relations and what it called Berlin’s “hostile” foreign policy.

According to a statement from the Russian Foreign Ministry, the agreement—signed on June 14, 1996—has “lost its meaning and practical significance” and no longer aligns with the current state of relations between the two countries.

“The openly hostile policy of the German authorities and the increasingly aggressive militaristic aspirations of the German government have rendered the agreement obsolete,” the ministry said.

Russia also accused the German government of promoting anti-Russian sentiment and escalating military tensions in Europe. “The FRG [Federal Republic of Germany] is pursuing foreign policy ambitions that threaten Russia’s core security interests,” it added.

The Kremlin stated that internal procedures for withdrawal from the agreement are currently underway.

In a related development, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Moscow is preparing retaliatory measures following reports of alleged persecution of a Russian journalist in Berlin. She noted that Russia may soon take countermeasures against selected German journalists working in Moscow.

“We are evaluating candidates for reciprocal actions,” Zakharova said during a session at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF-2025).

The Russian Foreign Ministry had previously accused Germany of attempting to eliminate Russian media presence from its information space through censorship and legal pressure.