Russia orders German consulate in St Petersburg to close
Moscow has ordered German diplomats and staff to leave by 18 September, escalating a reciprocal shutdown of diplomatic operations.
Russia has ordered Germany’s consulate in St Petersburg to cease operations by 18 September, with all diplomats and staff required to leave the country.
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Germany had provoked a new escalation in bilateral relations. The order follows Berlin’s closure of Russia’s consulate general in Bonn and the Russian House cultural centre in Berlin.
Germany said the closures followed its accusation that Moscow was involved in an attempted drone attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport. Russia has disputed the allegation, and the source provides no independently verified evidence establishing responsibility.
Moscow has also ordered branches of Germany’s Goethe-Institut in Russia to close, with their staff told to leave. The measures mark a further deterioration in relations, which have sharply worsened since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov described Germany’s accusation as “the beginning of a real war” and compared Berlin’s actions with events preceding World War II. Germany has continued to support Ukraine with civilian and military assistance, according to its Foreign Ministry.
