BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 7. Russia is
closing the German Consulate General in St. Petersburg.
This was stated in a press statement by the Russian Ministry of
Foreign Affairs.
"In connection with the unfriendly actions of the German side
regarding the closure of the Russian Consulate General in Bonn and
the Russian House of Science and Culture in Berlin on September 7,
the Chargé d’Affaires ad interim of the Federal Republic of Germany
in the Russian Federation was notified of the following retaliatory
measures. The Russian side is revoking its consent to the operation
of the Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany in St.
Petersburg, which must cease its activities no later than September
18, 2026, and all its staff must leave the territory of the Russian
Federation no later than the specified date,” the ministry
said.
In addition, it is reported that the German Goethe Institutes in
the Russian Federation “must cease their activities.”
“Their seconded staff members have been ordered to leave Russia
no later than September 13, 2026. The head of the diplomatic
mission was handed the relevant notes from the Russian Foreign
Ministry. It was stated that it was the German authorities who,
once again, provoked a new round of escalation in bilateral
relations. Complete responsibility for the consequences lies
entirely with the German government,” the Russian Foreign Ministry
said.
Meanwhile, on September 1, Germany announced the closure of the
Russian consulate in Bonn and the suspension of operations at the
“Russian House” in Berlin. This announcement came after Germany
officially accused Russia of attempting sabotage in connection with
the incident involving a drone packed with explosives that was
discovered a month ago at the Leipzig airport.
