Russia Orders Closure of German Consulate in Saint Petersburg

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Russia has ordered the closure of Germany’s Consulate-General in Saint Petersburg, escalating a diplomatic dispute between Moscow and Berlin.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said the German consulate must cease operations by September 18. Moscow described the move as retaliation for Germany’s decision to close Russia’s consulate in Bonn and a Russian cultural centre in Berlin.

Russia also ordered Germany’s Goethe-Institut cultural centres in the country to cease their activities and said their staff must leave Russia by September 13.

“It was the German authorities who, once again, provoked a new round of escalation in bilateral relations,” Russia’s Foreign Ministry said. “The German government bears full and complete responsibility for the consequences.”

Relations between the two countries have deteriorated further after Germany accused Russia of attempting to carry out a drone attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport early last month.

German intelligence services alleged that Russia stood behind the incident, which involved a drone carrying explosives. The European Union said the attack bore all the signs of “state sponsored terrorism”.

Moscow has rejected the allegations as an absurd fabrication.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused Berlin over the weekend of “wanting war again”, further intensifying the dispute.

Germany has also faced several suspected sabotage attempts targeting its power grid and defence contractors over the past two weeks. Berlin has not directly blamed Russia for those incidents.

European governments have increasingly raised concerns about alleged Russian hybrid warfare since Moscow invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

Germany remains one of Ukraine’s strongest European supporters. Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Monday that he would “not budge a single millimetre” from his conviction that Germany must defend its freedom against Russia.

The tensions come as Germany also faces growing political pressure at home. The pro-Russian Alternative for Germany party emerged as the major winner in a recent regional election in Saxony-Anhalt, despite warnings from German intelligence agencies.

Meanwhile, Finland has strengthened its border defences against Russia.

Finnish authorities unveiled a 200-kilometre section of new fencing along the Russian border on Monday. Interior Minister Mari Rantanen said the barrier would help counter hybrid warfare and deter Moscow from “instrumentalising” migrants to destabilise Finland.

“Today, it is calm but tense, and we really don’t know about tomorrow,” Rantanen said. “It can change really rapidly, and that is why we need to be very prepared.”

The latest diplomatic measures mark another sharp deterioration in relations between Russia and Germany, which have remained deeply strained since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

(Source: Reuters)

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