Girl’s disappearance stokes German, Russian tensions

BERLIN — Germany is cautioning Russia against using the mysterious disappearance of a 13-year-old German-Russian girl in Berlin for political purposes. The girl was reported missing Jan. 11 and reappeared after about 30 hours. Online rumours ensued that she had been kidnapped by a group of foreign-looking men and raped, but German police say they have found no evidence of either a kidnapping or a rape. The case has drawn widespread attention in the Russian media. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov asserted Tuesday that the girl’s disappearance “was hushed up for a long time for some reason” and added she didn’t disappear “voluntarily.” German officials said Wednesday that they have full confidence in Berlin judicial authorities. Government spokesman Steffen Seibert said “there is absolutely no reason ... to instrumentalize this matter politically.”