© REUTERS / Fabrizio BenschA general view shows the Russian embassy after Germany expelled two Russian diplomats in Berlin, Germany.
Der Spiegel said the deceased man was a 35-year-old secretary who had worked at the embassy. The magazine said the man appeared to have fallen from an upper floor of the building. His body had been discovered on October 19.
Russia's embassy in Germany released a short statement in response to the report, saying it would "not be commenting on this tragic event for ethical reasons."
Reports said the embassy had not agreed to an autopsy being undertaken in Germany, and the body had therefore been transported to Russia. The German authorities were unable to investigate the incident due to the deceased's diplomatic status, Der Spiegel said.
The magazine claimed that Berlin's security services believed the man had been a covert operative of Russia's chief domestic security agency, the Federal Security Service (the FSB). It didn't provide any evidence to back up this allegation.
"We believe that speculation about this tragic incident, which has appeared in some Western media, is absolutely unacceptable," the embassy said.
Comment: Notably this occurred over 2 weeks ago and reports are only coming out now.
See also: