Moscow Summons French Ambassador After Russian Official Detained at Paris Airport

Moscow summoned the French ambassador on Wednesday and condemned Paris after a Russian Foreign Ministry employee was briefly detained at a Paris airport while entering the country on official business.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated that French border police detained the Russian official on Sunday at Charles de Gaulle Airport, confiscating her phone and computer, calling it a “shameful spectacle.”

Zakharova emphasized that the official was traveling as part of an official Russian delegation and held a valid French visa. She described the incident, which occurred on April 6, as having “no explanation” during a televised briefing.

French authorities had not yet commented on the matter.