Russia Closes German Consulate General in St. Petersburg, Goethe-Institut Branches

Russia’s Foreign Ministry announced that it is closing the German Consulate General in St. Petersburg and the remaining branches of the Goethe-Institut on Russian territory, describing the move as a response to Germany’s earlier closure of Russian diplomatic and cultural facilities. Germany’s Chargé d’Affaires in Moscow has been informed that the St. Petersburg consulate must cease operations no later than Sept. 18, with staff required to leave Russian territory by that date, European Pravda reported on Monday, Sept. 7.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. “The decisions were made in connection with the unfriendly actions of the German side,” the Foreign Ministry said. Additionally, the Goethe-Institut’s branches must be vacated by Sept. 13. The relevant notes were reportedly handed formally to the head of the German diplomatic mission in Moscow. Lavrov signaled the closures days earlier Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov foreshadowed the retaliation on Sept. 3, telling the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok that Moscow would be shutting Goethe-Institut branches in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Yekaterinburg. “Of course, they will be closed after our cultural center was kicked out of Berlin,” Lavrov said, adding that “otherwise, we would not respect ourselves.” He continued by stating that Berlin should have understood that closing the Russian House would mean “the end of its cultural presence” in Russia. Other Topics of Interest Zelensky Says Ukrainian Drones Struck Russian Oil Refineries, Drone Depot, Military Targets Russia says 306 Ukrainian drones were intercepted overnight as strikes hit oil facilities, military targets, and an apartment building in the Perm region. The shuttered Russian House is formally known as the Russian Center for Science and Culture, part of a network run by Rossotrudnichestvo – an agency under Russia’s foreign ministry that says it operates 87 missions across 71 countries. Opened in 1984 on Berlin’s Friedrichstrasse, the seven-story facility had long been considered the network’s flagship, hosting Russian-language classes, concerts, films and exhibitions for the city’s Russian-speaking community. Bonn closure tied to intelligence concerns Germany’s decision to shut the Bonn consulate is linked due to its alleged use as a coordination hub for Russian intelligence and hybrid operations across Western Europe, according to the German newspaper Bild on Sept 5. Roughly 60 Russian diplomats, including Consul General Oleg Krasnitsky, were ordered to leave Germany by Sept. 18. According to Bild’s sources, roughly one-third of the departing diplomats are affiliated with Russian intelligence services, specifically the Federal Security Service (FSB), the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), or the Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU). Bild also reported that operations targeting Benelux nations, EU institutions and NATO headquarters had allegedly been supported by the Bonn institution. Dispute traces back to hybrid attack On Aug. 4, an explosive-laden drone was found near a Ukrainian cargo aircraft inside the Leipzig/Halle Airport’s secure zone, which serves as a key logistical hub for both NATO and Ukraine. Two suspects were identified on Sept. 2 – a Belarusian national holding a Russian passport and a Russian-born man with Latvian citizenship, prompting both Germany and the EU to adopt new measures against Russia. “If Russia thinks we will be divided by the threat, or if they think we will be deterred from supporting Ukraine, they are mistaken,” NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said in Brussels, following a meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen that same day. While the EU said it would introduce new sanctions, Germany responded by preparing a comprehensive package of domestic security measures to counter Russian sabotage, cyberattacks, and hybrid threats, including enhanced surveillance to detect spies and potential terrorists. The German government blamed Russia for the hybrid attack on Sept. 1, saying it had employed “low-level agents” for the campaign. Around the same time, the country announced the closing of the Russian consulate in Bonn, a city in western Germany, and terminated its agreement governing the Russian House cultural center in Berlin. Moscow rejected Berlin’s accusations as “entirely fabricated.” French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot stated that the EU and NATO will respond to hybrid infrastructure attacks on Sept. 5. Barrot called the deployment of an explosive-laden drone against German infrastructure a severe escalation. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.