Vladivostok: Russia will close German Goethe Institut cultural centres in the country, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Thursday, in a new escalation of tensions with Germany over an attempted drone attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport.
Lavrov announced Vladivostok during the Eastern Economic Forum. He said the decision responded to Germany's move to end the operation of the Russian House cultural centre in Berlin.
Lavrov said Germany's decision meant the end of its cultural presence in Russia. Russian state news agencies reported that he named Goethe Institut centres in Moscow, St Petersburg and Yekaterinburg.
The Goethe Institut's current website, however, lists its locations in Russia as Moscow, St Petersburg and Novosibirsk. The difference between the locations named by Lavrov and the institute's current list remains unclear.
The Russian announcement came after Germany formally blamed Russia for an attempted drone attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport on August 4.
German authorities found an explosive laden drone in a restricted area of the airport near a Ukrainian cargo aircraft. The device was later defused, and no injuries were reported from the incident.
Germany said its investigation, together with intelligence findings, had led it to conclude that Russia was responsible for the attempted attack. German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said the drone's configuration and components were consistent with equipment linked to previous Russian hybrid operations.
Dobrindt also said intelligence pointed to people who had acted on behalf of Russian state entities. German authorities have not made all of the intelligence behind their conclusion public.
Germany responded to the incident with several measures against Russia.
Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul announced that Russia's Consulate General in Bonn would close from September 18. Berlin also decided to terminate the agreement governing the operation of the Russian House as a cultural institution.
The German government said it would also propose new European Union sanctions against Russian individuals in connection with hybrid attacks. Berlin plans to tighten immigration controls for Russian nationals and increase pressure on Russia's shadow fleet.
Germany has also said it will continue its civilian and military support for Ukraine and work with its partners in NATO and the European Union.
Russia has rejected Germany's accusation over the Leipzig incident.
The Russian government has described the allegations as unfounded and accused Germany of deliberately worsening relations between the two countries. President Vladimir Putin has also rejected the German claims and said evidence was being used to blame Moscow.
Russia's Foreign Ministry summoned Germany's charge d'affaires in Moscow on September 2 after Germany announced its measures. Moscow said it would respond to what it described as hostile actions by Berlin.
The dispute over the Leipzig airport incident is part of a much wider deterioration in relations between Germany and Russia since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Germany has become a major supporter of Ukraine and has backed European sanctions against Moscow. Berlin has also warned about what it describes as Russian hybrid activities, including suspected sabotage, cyber operations and other attempts to disrupt European countries.
Leipzig/Halle Airport is a major freight hub in Germany and is used by Ukrainian cargo aircraft. The discovery of the explosive laden drone at the airport therefore raised wider security concerns in Germany.
The German government has described the incident as part of a broader pattern of hybrid threats. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has also described the Leipzig incident as having the characteristics of state sponsored terrorism, although that description is a political assessment rather than a final legal finding.
The latest Russian decision has now taken the dispute into the area of cultural relations.
The Goethe Institut has operated in Russia since 1992, when its first centre in Moscow opened shortly after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The institute promotes German language learning and cultural cooperation.
The closure of the German cultural centres would further reduce direct cultural links between Germany and Russia at a time when diplomatic relations are already severely strained.
For now, the exact timing and practical arrangements for the Goethe Institut closures have not been announced. Russia's decision follows Germany's measures against Russian diplomatic and cultural institutions and marks another step in the continuing deterioration of relations between Berlin and Moscow.