According to Reuters, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov stated on September 3 that following Germany's accusations of Russia regarding the drone incident at Leipzig Airport, Russia will shut down the Goethe Institute cultural institutions in Moscow, Saint Petersburg, and Yekaterinburg.
German measures previously taken against Russia include the decision to close the "Russian House" in Berlin and the Russian Embassy in Bonn.
Lavrov said that due to Germany's decision to close its Russian Cultural Center in Berlin, Russia will also close several Goethe Institutes.
Lavrov emphasized: "Germany deliberately carried out this action. They could not have been unaware of the consequences, which means that German influence in Russian culture will come to an end."
He added, “Even though our relations with the West have become complex due to the Ukraine issue, these cultural centers have continued to operate as usual.”
The first Goethe Institute in Russia was established in Moscow shortly after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1992. Previously, due to diplomatic tensions between Russia and the UK, the British Council's institutions in Russia were closed down in 2018.
On August 5th, German police discovered a drone near an Ukrainian transport aircraft at Leipzig Airport in eastern Germany. The drone was reportedly equipped with explosives. According to German media reports, after this incident, multiple pieces of evidence pointed towards Russia. Russia denied this claim, stating that the real culprit behind the incident was Ukraine.
On September 1st, Russian President Putin accused Germany of fabricating evidence, stating that Germany was using this incident to shift blame onto Russia.
On September 3rd, Russian Security Council Vice Chairman Medvedev said in an interview with RT television that the German government needs to take a more cautious approach and avoid direct confrontation with Russia.
Medvedev said: "All of this will have extremely serious consequences for the German economy and the German people, who have already lost too much due to their refusal to cooperate with Russia."
