Russia will close all branches of the Goethe Institute in the country, including those in Moscow, Saint Petersburg and Yekaterinburg, in retaliation for Germany's decision to close the Russian cultural center Russian House in Berlin. The announcement was made by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, noting that without this measure, Russians would not be respecting themselves.
The closure of the Goethe Institute branches comes following an episode involving drones with explosive payloads discovered in Germany. On August 4, a drone with an explosive payload was found at Leipzig airport, and there was also an alleged collision of a second drone with a cargo plane from the DHL company. Ten days later, a third drone was discovered along with explosives.
On Monday, the German government attributed responsibility for this "hybrid attack" to Russia and announced a set of measures, including the closure of the Russian consulate in Bonn starting September 18, the cancellation of the contract that allowed the Russian cultural center Russian House to operate in Berlin, and the summoning of the Russian ambassador in Berlin to the Foreign Ministry.
Russian President Vladimir Putin rejected the accusations, stating that Berlin has no proof that Russia poses a threat to Germany and associated these allegations with Germany's difficult internal political situation.
