Germany closes Russian Consulate General in Bonn, orders staff to leave

BERLIN, September 3. /TASS/. Germany has ruled out the possibility of transferring employees of the Russian Consulate General in Bonn to the embassy in Berlin, Russia’s Ambassador to Germany Sergey Nechayev said in a message to compatriots living in Germany.

"On September 1, 2026, the Federal Government of the Federal Republic of Germany made the unprecedented decision to close the Russian Consulate General in Bonn by September 18, 2026, and to terminate the 2011 Russian-German intergovernmental agreement on the activities of cultural and information centers. This entails the closure of the Russian House of Science and Culture in Berlin by June 2027. Furthermore, all employees of the Consulate General and the Russian House, as well as their family members, are ordered to leave Germany immediately. The German side has rejected the possibility of transferring them to the embassy," the statement reads. It also notes that the State Duma elections on September 20 cannot be held at the Consulate General in Bonn.

The ambassador recalled that the Consulate General in Bonn was the last of five Russian consulates general operating in Germany. On May 31, 2023, Berlin demanded that Russia close four of its five consulates general in Germany - in Hamburg, Leipzig, Munich, and Frankfurt am Main.

"This latest unfriendly move by the German side, prompted by absurd and unsubstantiated accusations of Russia preparing acts of sabotage on German territory that have no basis in reality, will have an extremely negative impact on the embassy's ability to provide consular and legal services. Unfortunately, operational difficulties, especially in the initial period, are inevitable," the ambassador stated, adding that this was not Russia's choice.

Nechyaev assured that the Russian embassy would do everything possible to promptly rectify the situation and ensure consular access even in the most remote regions of Germany from Berlin.

On Tuesday, the German government officially blamed Russia for the drone incident at Leipzig/Halle Airport and announced countermeasures. Specifically, it was decided to close the Russian Consulate General in Bonn by September 18. Other steps include the denunciation of the agreement on the activities of the Russian House in Berlin, tightening entry controls for Russians, and increasing pressure on Russia's so-called shadow fleet.

Russian President Vladimir Putin pointed out that Germany's new anti-Russian decisions, under the pretext of the drone incident at Leipzig Airport, are yet another grave error by the German authorities, contrary to the interests of their people. He believes these decisions are linked to the domestic political situation in that country, and in particular, the difficult situation of Chancellor Friedrich Merz.