By Dwayne Ferreira.
St Petersburg consulate closure deepens Russia-Germany tensions after Berlin blamed Moscow for a drone incident at Leipzig airport.
MOSCOW – Russia has ordered Germany to shut down its Consulate-General in St. Petersburg, escalating an increasingly bitter diplomatic confrontation between Moscow and Berlin following accusations over a drone incident at a major German airport.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has instructed the German consulate to cease operations by September 18, with all employees required to leave the country by the same date.
The decision is a direct retaliation for Germany’s move to close the Russian consulate in Bonn and the Russian House cultural centre in Berlin.
Relations between the two countries have deteriorated sharply after Germany accused Russia of responsibility for an attempted drone attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport on August 4.
Germany Blames Russia for Airport Drone Incident
German authorities said an explosives-laden drone was discovered near a Ukrainian aircraft at Leipzig/Halle Airport and subsequently defused.
Following an intelligence and police investigation, the German government announced on September 1 that it believed Russian state actors were responsible for the incident.
Berlin responded by ordering the Russian consulate in Bonn to close and ending the operations of the Russian House cultural centre in the German capital.
Russia has strongly denied any involvement.
Moscow has described Germany’s accusations as fabricated and accused Berlin of deliberately escalating tensions between the two countries.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has also rejected the allegations, while Russian officials have criticised what they say is Germany’s increasingly hostile policy towards Moscow.
Goethe-Institut Centres also Ordered to Close
The diplomatic retaliation extends beyond Germany’s St. Petersburg consulate.
Russia has also ordered Germany’s Goethe-Institut cultural centres in the country to cease operations.
Employees of the cultural organisation have been instructed to leave Russia by September 13.
The Goethe-Institut has played a major role in promoting German language and culture internationally and has operated in Russia for decades.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said Berlin was responsible for triggering the latest deterioration in relations, accusing Germany of creating another round of confrontation.
Germany, however, has condemned Moscow’s response.
Berlin described Russia’s decision to close the St. Petersburg consulate as a “regrettable mistake”, warning that the move would make any future return to constructive relations more difficult.
Russia-Germany relations sink further
The latest diplomatic confrontation comes amid already strained relations between Russia and Germany since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Germany has emerged as one of Ukraine’s major European political, financial and military supporters, while relations with Moscow have progressively deteriorated.
Berlin has also accused Russia of conducting wider hybrid operations across Europe, including cyberattacks, sabotage and interference targeting critical infrastructure.
Moscow has repeatedly rejected such accusations.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has sharply criticised Germany’s position in recent days and accused Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s government of adopting an increasingly confrontational approach towards Russia.
The closure of the St. Petersburg consulate now represents another significant reduction in diplomatic ties between two countries whose relations were once among the most important between Russia and Western Europe.
Germany’s embassy in Moscow remains operational, but the loss of the St. Petersburg mission will further restrict Germany’s diplomatic and consular presence across Russia.
