(Bloomberg) -- Hundreds of German government employees based in Russia, among them diplomats, teachers and personnel of cultural institutions, will have to leave the country next month after Moscow imposed a cap on foreign staff, Germany’s foreign ministry said.

The decision will lead to a “a big cut in all areas of our presence in Russia,” with employees compelled to leave in the first week of June, a spokeswoman for Germany’s foreign ministry said. The expulsions were first reported by the Süddeutsche Zeitung.

Germany will introduce a similar limit on the number of Russian state employees in Germany, the spokeswoman said. Russia announced the staff limit in April after Germany had expelled a number of Russian diplomats.

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