Russia closes all Goethe Institutes: end of cultural presence
In response to the closure of the Russian House in Berlin, the Goethe Institutes in Russia must cease their work by September 2026.
Quick Look
- The Russian authorities have ordered the closure of all Goethe Institutes in Russia on September 13, 2026.
- This is in retaliation for the federal government's closure of the Russian House in Berlin.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The closure of the Goethe Institute is a reaction to the closure of the Russian House in Berlin by the federal government. The latter justified the step with an attempted drone attack in Leipzig.
It's a proud, round number. The non-profit organization's 2025/26 yearbook lists 154 Goethe Institutes in 100 countries. In the 75th year of its existence, 100 countries now become 99. On September 7th, according to the Goethe website, “the Russian authorities requested that employees at all Goethe-Institut locations in Russia stop working on September 13th, 2026.”
It was foreseeable that this would happen. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced the now official order on September 3rd. The federal government had just justified the planned closure of the Russian House in Berlin with the attempted drone attack at Leipzig Airport. However, the suspicion that the facility on Friedrichstrasse - opened in 1984 as the House of Soviet Science and Culture - served as a cover for Putin's secret services had long since grown stronger. Lavrov said that “of course” the Goethe Institutes would be closed after “our cultural center” was “expelled” from Berlin.
The institute believes that this shows how great the need for contacts and understanding continues to be. A need that can no longer be met: “De facto” is the order to close, writes General Secretary Gitte Zschoch: “No more books can be borrowed from our libraries, no further training can be offered.” Access to the German language, culture and reliable information from and about Germany will be further restricted.
The late American political scientist Joseph S. Nye spoke of “soft power” as “the ability to achieve desired results without having to force people to change their behavior through threats or payments.” With the closure of the Goethe Institutes in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Novosibirsk, the capabilities of German and European soft power are diminishing.
Goethe President Gesche Joost has already indicated in the current yearbook that Russia is not an isolated case: “The concept of the West, transatlantic friendship, rapprochement with Russia or pacification of the conflict in the Middle East – all of this has become a long way off.”
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Suspension of all operational activities of the Goethe-Instituts in Russia until September 13, 2026.
Very likely · Within months
Open Questions
- How does German civil society react to the loss of access?
