Russia to Close Goethe-Institut Centres Following Dispute With Germany Over Drone Incident

MOSCOW: Russia will close Germany’s Goethe-Institut cultural centres in Moscow, St Petersburg and Yekaterinburg, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday, following a diplomatic dispute with Berlin over a drone incident at Leipzig/Halle Airport.

The decision came after Germany accused Russia of responsibility for an attempted drone attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport. Berlin subsequently announced retaliatory measures, including the closure of a Russian cultural centre in Berlin and a Russian consulate in Bonn.

Lavrov said Germany had deliberately taken steps that would bring an end to its cultural presence in Russia. He argued that the Goethe-Institut centres had continued operating despite the deterioration in relations between Russia and Western countries over the Ukraine conflict.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has rejected Germany’s allegations concerning the Leipzig/Halle incident, accusing Berlin of fabricating evidence to implicate Moscow. Russia has described the German accusations as false and an escalation of bilateral tensions.

The Goethe-Institut opened its first centre in Russia in Moscow in 1992, shortly after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Its subsequent expansion reflected efforts to maintain cultural and educational exchanges between Germany and Russia despite periodic diplomatic tensions.

The latest measures follow Moscow’s warning that it would respond to Germany’s closure of the Russian consulate in Bonn. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said on Wednesday that retaliation would come “very soon.”

The dispute comes amid broader deterioration in relations between Moscow and European governments, with Germany and other EU countries considering additional measures against Russia following the Leipzig airport incident.