MOSCOW, February 4. /TASS/. Deutsche Welle journalists won’t be expelled from Russia after their credentials are withdrawn, Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a briefing on Friday.

"The employees of Deutsche Welle’s news bureau have been notified of the need to surrender their credentials by the end of the day (on February 4 - TASS)," she noted, adding: "The accreditation withdrawal does not mean that they have to leave."

The Foreign Ministry spokeswoman explained that 16 out of 19 DW employees were Russian citizens and there was no reason for them to leave the country. At the same time, no one demands that the three remaining journalists, who are foreign nationals, should leave Russia.

According to the diplomat, it is perplexing that neither the head of the Deutsche Welle’s bureau, who described Russia’s actions as confusing in an interview, nor any of his employees have so far requested a clarification from the Russian Foreign Ministry, which is "always ready to offer assistance and support."

"However, German diplomats have reached out to us," Zakharova noted. "This is another interesting thing that serves to illustrate the situation where the German government keeps saying that media outlets are independent and the authorities have nothing at all to do with what happens to them," she added.