**Russia Orders Closure of German Consulate and Cultural Centers in Tit‑for‑Tat Move**
Moscow, 7 September 2026 – The Russian Foreign Ministry announced that it would shut down the German Consulate General in St. Petersburg and all German cultural‑center branches in Russia. The decision was made in response to Germany’s recent closure of the Russian consulate in Bonn and a Russian cultural centre in Berlin following accusations that Moscow was involved in an attempted drone attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport in August.
The ministry gave German diplomats and staff at the St. Petersburg consulate until 18 September to cease operations and leave Russia. Employees of the Goethe‑Institut branches in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Yekaterinburg were instructed to vacate by the end of the week.
In a statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry said it had summoned Germany’s ambassador in Moscow to explain the “retaliatory decisions.” It added that “the German authorities have once again provoked a new spiral of escalation in bilateral relations. Full responsibility for the consequences lies entirely with the German government.”
President Vladimir Putin has accused Germany of planting evidence to blame Moscow for the August incident at Leipzig/Halle Airport. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov described Berlin’s accusations as “an effective declaration of war against us” and said that Moscow would respond to the closure of its cultural centre in Berlin by shutting down Goethe‑Institut sites across Russia. Lavrov had previously warned that the German decision would trigger a reciprocal response.
The first Goethe‑Institut opened in Moscow in 1992, shortly after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
**Additional Context**
The Moscow Times, an independent news outlet, has been designated an “undesirable” organization by the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office, a move that criminalises its operations and puts its staff at risk of prosecution. The outlet has stated that it continues to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia and has called on readers to support its work.
*The Moscow Times* is also facing a prior designation as a “foreign agent.” The outlet’s staff have expressed that these actions are attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia.
Article and image source: themoscowtimes.com
