The Russian Foreign Ministry officially announced that Russia closes the German consulate in St. Petersburg and terminates the activities of all branches of the cultural institute “Goethe“ within the Russian Federation. The decision represents a serious diplomatic blow and is a direct response to Berlin's actions towards Russian representations in Germany.
Terms of termination of activity
According to the official statement of the Russian Foreign Ministry, quoted by world agencies, Moscow officially withdraws its consent to the functioning of the German Consulate General in St. Petersburg. The diplomatic mission must completely cease its activities no later than September 18, 2026, and all consular personnel are obliged to leave the country by the same date.
In parallel, the German cultural centers named after Goethe in the Russian Federation (in the cities of Moscow, St. Petersburg and Yekaterinburg) are also forced to close their doors. German staff seconded to institutes have a deadline to leave Russia by September 13, 2026.
Escalation of tensions between Berlin and Moscow
The official diplomatic notes were handed over today to the acting head of the German embassy in Moscow. The Russian side defines the measures as a mirror response to the “hostile actions“ by the German authorities.
We recall that in early September Germany imposed sanctions against Moscow and ordered the closure of the Russian Consulate General in Bonn, as well as the Russian House of Science and Culture in Berlin. The reason for the German restrictions was an investigation into an incident with a drone at the Leipzig/Halle airport, for which Berlin directly blamed Russian intelligence services. The Russian Foreign Ministry rejected these allegations, calling them “absurd fabrications“, and shifted all responsibility for the consequences onto the German government.