French border authorities detained an employee of the Russian Foreign Ministry and confiscated her computer and phone, RBC reported Wednesday, citing ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova.
“The Russian Embassy in Paris issued a note of protest to the French Foreign Ministry. During a meeting in Moscow, the Russian Foreign Ministry lodged a strong protest with the French embassy leadership,” Zakharova said at a press briefing, according to Russian state media. “Following these demarches, our colleague was eventually allowed to enter France, but she was forced to spend 24 hours in the airport’s border control zone.”
The French authorities have not disclosed the reasons for the employee’s detention. The Russian Foreign Ministry warned France of “consequences” over the incident.
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