Russia to close all Goethe Institutes after Germany shuttered Russian cultural center

Russia will shut down all Goethe Institutes operating in its territory, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov declared at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok on Thursday. The announcement is a direct response to Germany closing the Russisches Haus cultural centre in Berlin, a move Berlin made after attributing a foiled explosive-drone attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport in early August to Russia.

Three sites to close

The Goethe Institute maintains a main office in Moscow and branches in St. Petersburg and Novosibirsk. Lavrov left no doubt about their fate: they will be closed after our cultural centre was expelled from Berlin. He warned that Germany was consciously accepting the end of its cultural presence in the Russian Federation.

Berlin regrets but stands firm

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul called the Russian move very regrettable and unjustified, arguing that Germany acted in response to what Berlin considers a clear Russian-linked act of sabotage. Speaking in Weimar alongside his French and Polish counterparts, Wadephul praised the Goethe Institute for sustaining cultural ties and dialogue under the most difficult conditions since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Escalating tensions

The Leipzig drone incident marked a new low in German-Russian relations. Berlin's response package also included the closure of Russia's consulate general in Bonn. The Goethe Institute was one of the very last German institutions still functioning inside Russia, making its closure a symbolic milestone in the complete rupture of cultural diplomacy between the two countries.