Moscow raises Russia-Germany tensions as it closes Goethe-Institut centers

Germany claimed last month that Russia was scheming a drone attack on Leipzig Airport using military-grade material.

Germany claimed last month that Russia was scheming a drone attack on Leipzig Airport using military-grade material.

On Thursday, after Moscow announced the closure of German cultural centers across the country, Russia-Germany relations became further strained.

According to Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Germany’s Goethe-Institut cultural centers would shut down in Russian cities including Moscow, St. Petersburg and Yekaterinburg on the grounds of increasing tensions.

Lavrov further added that “any other response would show a lack of self-respect on Russia’s part.”

“Of course they will be closed after our cultural center was expelled from there [from Berlin],” Lavrov said, speaking at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok.

“They deliberately took this step, they could not have failed to understand — which means the end of their cultural presence in Russia,” Lavrov said, as cited by TASS.

The Kremlin also slammed Germany for demonstrating “an inconsistent and absurd position” by choosing to close the Russian consulate in Bonn.

The remarks come after Berlin accused Russia of scheming a drone attack on Leipzig Airport last month using military-grade material and known hybrid-warfare components, while announcing the closure of both the Russian Consulate in Bonn and the Russian House cultural center in the German capital.

The airport is a major international freight hub used for providing support to Ukraine.

Russia also threatened to take further strict measures, including the closure of Germany’s consulate general in St. Petersburg.

Suspected acts of sabotage have spiked across Europe, including recent attacks on electricity substations in Germany and factory fires/arson in Poland.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen condemned Russia’s “recklessness” and promised a robust collective response.

EU foreign ministers are discussing tighter enforcement of existing sanctions, a bloc-wide visa entry ban on Russian ex-combatants, stricter tourist visa limits, and targeted actions against Russia’s “shadow fleet” of oil tankers.

Putin has denied the allegations, calling it a campaign run by Western officials to defame the country and distract German voters’ attention from its own failings.

On Tuesday, President Vladimir Putin accused Germany of planting evidence in order to blame Moscow for the incident.