Russia has closed Germany's last regional Consulate General in the country
Russia has closed Germany's last regional Consulate General in the country
On September 7, Russian authorities announced the closure of Germany's last regional Consulate General in Saint Petersburg. This decision was made in response to Berlin's announcement regarding the closure of the Russian Consulate General in Bonn. This was reported by Deutsche Welle and "Kommersant" publications.
It is stated that the decision was made "due to the hostile actions of the German side." The German Consulate General must cease its activities no later than September 18, 2026. All staff must leave the Russian Federation by this deadline.
In addition, the branches of the Goethe-Institut in Russia must also cease their operations. According to the report, their employees have been ordered to leave Russia no later than September 13, 2026.
It is noted that the head of the German diplomatic mission received the relevant notes from the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs accused the German authorities of "escalating bilateral relations to a new level." Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had announced the closure of the Goethe-Institut branches.
On September 1, German authorities announced the closure of the Russian Consulate General in Bonn and the Russian House in Berlin. This decision was made in response to a planned terrorist attack at the Leipzig/Halle airport in early August.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul and Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt officially announced the results of the investigation into the incident. The investigation indicated the involvement of Russian authorities in this matter.
Along with closing the Russian Consulate General in Bonn and canceling the agreement on the Russian House in Berlin, Germany will also tighten entry controls for Russian citizens. It will also strengthen measures against Russia's "shadow fleet." Meanwhile, the European Union and NATO, as well as several European governments, have expressed their support for Germany.
On August 4, an act of sabotage was carried out against a Ukrainian An-124 cargo plane at the Leipzig airport. Media reports, citing German investigative authorities, state that several drones were involved in this attack.
One of the unmanned aerial vehicles loaded with explosives was found near several Ukrainian cargo planes. The second drone crashed into a DHL cargo plane a few minutes after the first drone was found.
Earlier, it was reported that Hungary had expelled 10 Russian diplomats. They were said to have operated in violation of the Vienna Convention. This indicates the end of former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's pro-Russian policy.