Russia says protesters tried to occupy former Russian consulate in Leipzig

Six unidentified people tried to take over a building owned by the Russian government in the German city of Leipzig on Thursday, Russia's foreign ministry said on Friday, adding that it would lodge an official complaint.

Six unidentified people tried to take over a building owned by the Russian government in the German city of Leipzig on Thursday, Russia's foreign ministry said on Friday, adding that it would lodge an official complaint. It said the intruders climbed over the fence of a building that used to serve as a Russian consulate and onto its balcony where they displayed anti-Russian banners and said they would take over the property.

Two Russian embassy staffers who were inside the building called the police, who detained the group, the ministry said. It said it would file a complaint with the German government demanding the intruders be punished. The German foreign ministry was not immediately available for comment.

Police in Leipzig said six protesters had scaled the fence and unfurled a banner referring to the Russian president from the balcony before police were called in and led them away. The six German nationals are currently being investigated on suspicion of trespassing, said police.

Germany recalled its ambassador to Russia this week after Berlin accused Moscow of launching cyberattacks against its defence and aerospace firms as well as its ruling party, a charge Moscow denies.

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