Russia closes German Consulate General in St. Petersburg and Goethe Institute in response to drone allegations

In response to German measures over the drone incident in Leipzig, the Russian government is closing the German consulate general in St. Petersburg. This emerges from a statement from the Russian Foreign Ministry. Accordingly, the consulate must stop working until September 18th. All Goethe Institutes in Russia will also be closed and their staff must leave Russia by September 13th.

The German government accuses Russia of being responsible for an attempted drone attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport. Germany therefore announced the closure of the Russian House in Berlin and the Russian Consulate General in Bonn. In addition, entry controls for Russian citizens have been tightened.

Russia accuses Germany of a “new round of escalation.”

Last Tuesday, Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) and Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul (CDU) announced at a joint press conference that it was assumed that Russia was behind the attempted attack. The findings are based, among other things, on the means of crime found such as the drones, various components, explosives and ignition technology that were used, said Dobrindt. These components used came from Russian drone technology, such as that known from the war in Ukraine. The preparation was “professional” and showed “a high level of expertise” in preparing and carrying out the crime.

Russia rejected the German accusations and announced a “mirror-image” reaction. President Vladimir Putin called the German measures a “serious mistake” and spoke of falsified documents. The announcement about the measures that has now been made states that German authorities have provoked “a new round of escalation” in bilateral relations.