Russia ordered the closure of the German consulate in St Petersburg today in response to the identical measure of Germany in Bonn, which followed the discovery of an explosive drone at Leipzig Airport.
© Reuters
07/09/2026
by
Lusa
Ukraine/Russia
“ A russian party withdraws consent to the operation of the German Consulate General in St. Petersburg, which is expected to cease activities by 18 September at the latest,” Russian diplomacy announced.
Officials of the German Consulate should have left the territory by the closing deadline at the latest, he specified a statement quoted by the French agency AFP.
The German Government announced last week the closure on 18 September of the last Russian consulate in Germany, Bonn (west), and the Russian cultural centre in Berlin, also called the “Russian House”.
The measure was released after Berlin officially accused Moscow of an attempted bombing with a drone loaded with explosives at Leipzig Airport in early August.
The airport is considered a key military platform for the German army, NATO and Ukraine, a country that Russia invaded in February 2022 and which receives weapons support from Western allies.
Moscow had already announced last week the close of German cultural centres throughout the Russian territory and summoned the German businessman.
He then denounced the “acts and anti-russian declarations of the German authorities”.
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs today required that the officials of the Goethe Institute, which promotes German culture abroad, should have left Russia by 13 September at the latest.
“It was precisely the German authorities who once again caused a new cycle of escalation in bilateral relations,” Russian diplomacy considered.
The Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, accused Germany on Saturday of wanting “again” the war against Russia.
Germany has highlighted itself in European efforts to support Ukraine, both in financing the economy and in the supply of arms, in what Moscow considers to be a “Global West” war against Russia.