Russia Retaliates by Shutting Goethe-Institut Centers After Berlin’s Closure of Russian Outposts

Russia says it will close Goethe-Institut cultural centers in Moscow, Saint Petersburg and Yekaterinburg in response to Germany’s decision to shutter a Russian cultural centre in Berlin and a Bonn consulate, a move tied to Germany’s attribution of the August Leipzig/Halle drone incident to Moscow. Lavrov framed the closures as retaliation and criticized Germany’s stance, while the EU debated sanctions and urged a stronger response to what it called state-sponsored actions. Russia warned it would retaliate further, highlighting escalating tensions between Moscow and Berlin amid broader Western pressures over the war in Ukraine.