Russia shuts down Germany’s cultural centers after drone incident

Russia will close Germany's Goethe-Institut cultural centers within the country, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told state media TASS Thursday. The tit-for-tat measure followed Germany’s closure of the Russian House in Berlin after it accused Moscow of orchestrating a drone incident at the Leipzig/Halle Airport. In August, German officials discovered a drone carrying an explosive device at the airport that had failed to detonate. They said a second drone caused minor damage when it struck an aircraft. Officials formally blamed Russia for the attempted attacks earlier this week. Germany also closed the Russian consulate in Bonn.

What cultural centers will be closed? Lavrov said Goethe-Institut cultural centers will be shut down in Moscow, Saint Petersburg and Yekaterinburg. The closures were in direct response to Germany's shuttering of Russia’s own cultural center, he said. He denied that Russia was behind the drone incident, and said Germany had used the issue as a false pretext. Previously, Russian leader Vladimir Putin claimed that Germany planted evidence on the drones.

Russia’s Goethe-Institut opened in Moscow in 1992, shortly after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The organization has centers in 100 countries promoting the study of the German language and society.

What has Germany said about the closures? German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul told reporters that the decision was unjustified and damaging. The Goethe-Institut served as a cultural bridge in Russia, he said. Germany was open to reasonable dialogue with Russia once it ended its aggression against Ukraine and halted attacks against Germany and its allies, he said.

How has Europe responded to the drone incident? On Wednesday, the heads of NATO and the European Commission condemned the attack and said they stood in full solidarity with Germany. Additionally, leaders from Italy, Poland, France, the Netherlands, Australia, and the United Kingdom have all posted their support for Germany. Estonia’s minister of foreign affairs urged that countries should stop issuing tourist visas to Russian citizens.

Dig deeper: Read my report on the European Commission’s support for Germany following the drone incident.