Russia to Close Goethe-Institut Centers After German Measures

Russia will close Germany’s Goethe-Institut cultural centers in Moscow, St Petersburg and Yekaterinburg in retaliation for Berlin’s decision to halt the operations of a Russian cultural center in the German capital, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday.

Germany took the measures after blaming Russia for a drone incident at Leipzig/Halle Airport. It also closed the Russian consulate in Bonn. On Tuesday, President Vladimir Putin accused German authorities of planting evidence to blame Moscow for the incident.

Lavrov said Berlin must have understood the consequences of its decision, which he said effectively marked the end of Germany’s cultural presence in Russia. He added that the centers had remained open despite tensions with the West over the war in Ukraine.

The first Goethe-Institut in Russia opened in Moscow in 1992, shortly after the collapse of the Soviet Union. In 2018, Moscow similarly ordered the closure of the British Council following a diplomatic dispute with Britain.

Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko had already said on Wednesday that Russia would retaliate “very soon” for the closure of the Bonn consulate.

(Reuters, bak)