Russia Closes German Consulate in St. Petersburg in Tit-for-Tat Move

diepresse.com (German)

Russia has ordered Germany's consulate general in St. Petersburg to close by September 18, escalating retaliatory measures following the Leipzig drone incident. The Russian Foreign Ministry announced the decision on Monday, also demanding Goethe Institute staff leave Russia by September 13. Moscow's action responds to Berlin's closure of Russia's consulate in Bonn and a Russian cultural center in Berlin. Russia's Foreign Ministry accused German authorities of provoking a new escalation round, stating Germany bears full responsibility for the consequences. Germany justified its measures citing an alleged Russian drone attack on Leipzig/Halle airport, which Moscow dismissed as an absurd fabrication. Russia had already announced last week it would close Goethe Institutes in Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Yekaterinburg, a step Germany regretted.


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