Russia Moves to Shut Goethe-Institut Centres as Moscow-Berlin Tensions Escalate

Russia is set to shut down all branches of Germany’s Goethe-Institut cultural centres in the country, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has announced, escalating a growing diplomatic dispute between Moscow and Berlin.

Lavrov said the move was a direct response to Germany’s decision to close the Russian House cultural centre in Berlin and the Russian consulate in Bonn.

“They deliberately took this step, which means the end of their cultural presence in Russia,” Lavrov said on Wednesday at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok.

The German government announced the closures on Tuesday in response to an alleged attempted drone attack on Leipzig/Halle Airport in August. Berlin blamed Russia for the incident, further worsening already strained relations between the two countries.

Russia has denied involvement in the alleged attack. President Vladimir Putin has rejected the accusations and claimed that evidence linking Moscow to the incident was planted.

Germany, however, has received backing from the United Kingdom, NATO and other regional allies over the incident. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen accused Russia of attempting to target cargo aircraft at the airport, warning that such an attack could have caused extensive damage and loss of life.

“This was an attack using military-grade material, carried out by Russian operatives on EU soil,” von der Leyen said during a meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte in Brussels.

She warned that Europe and NATO would continue increasing pressure on Russia until Moscow ends its military campaign in Ukraine, while urging European countries to treat critical infrastructure as potential frontline targets.

Von der Leyen also said the European Union’s Rapid Response Teams could be deployed to deal with attacks both within and outside the bloc.

The latest diplomatic measures come as European allies discuss further assistance for Ukraine. Von der Leyen confirmed a new funding request running into several billion euros to support Ukraine’s air defences, including the acquisition of PAC-3 Patriot systems.