Germany and Russia have ordered reciprocal consulate closures following an attempted drone attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport that Berlin blames on Moscow.
The Russian Embassy said more than 150 staff members and their relatives would have to leave Germany following Berlin’s decision to close the Russian consulate general in Bonn and terminate the agreement governing the Russian House cultural center in Berlin.
Germany announced the measures on Sept. 1, after attributing the Aug. 4 sabotage attempt to Russia. An explosives-laden drone found near a Ukrainian aircraft at the airport was later defused.
Moscow denied involvement, accusing Berlin of presenting no evidence and dismantling the remaining channels for cultural cooperation.
Russia responded by ordering the German consulate in St. Petersburg to close by Sept. 18, the same deadline set for the Bonn consulate. It also ordered Goethe-Institut cultural centers in Russia to shut, with their staff required to leave by Sept. 13.
The St. Petersburg closure will leave Germany’s embassy in Moscow as its only remaining diplomatic mission in Russia.
