Lavrov Announces Closure of Goethe-Institut Branches in Russia After German Retaliation

By Staff, Agencies

Russia plans to shut down Goethe-Institut branches in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Yekaterinburg in response to Germany’s decision to terminate an agreement governing the Russian House of Science and Culture in Berlin, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Thursday.

Speaking at a lecture organized by the Znanie Society during the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Lavrov also rejected allegations that Moscow was behind a drone incident at Leipzig Airport in Germany earlier this month.

Lavrov said German authorities appeared to have based their accusation on the assumption that the drone involved resembled equipment associated with Russia.

He confirmed that the Goethe-Institut branches operating in the three Russian cities would be closed following Germany’s move against the Russian cultural center.

Lavrov described the German decision as a major step in ending Germany’s cultural presence in Russia, which had continued despite the sharp deterioration in relations between the two countries over the Ukraine conflict.

The German government announced on September 1 that it would end the agreement covering the Russian House in Berlin, citing the alleged Russian connection to the Leipzig Airport drone incident.

German authorities have attributed responsibility for the incident to Russia, while Moscow has rejected the accusation.

The Russian Embassy in Berlin called the allegation a provocation and said Germany’s decision represented a serious escalation in already strained bilateral relations.

The planned closures highlight the continuing deterioration of cultural and diplomatic ties between Moscow and Berlin, with both sides increasingly taking reciprocal measures against each other.