Russia Orders Closure of German Consulate

Russia's Foreign Ministry on Monday announced the closure of the German consulate in St. Petersburg, the latest in a cycle of tit-for-tat moves following an attempted drone attack in Leipzig that Germany blamed on Russia. The ministry said the German consulate must stop operations and its workers must leave Russia by Sept. 18. It reaffirmed the previously announced decision to shut German Goethe-Institut cultural centers in Moscow and St. Petersburg and said their employees must leave no later than Sunday, the AP reports.

The ministry's statement cast the moves as retaliation for Germany's "unfriendly" decision Wednesday to close both the Russian consulate in Bonn and the Russian House cultural center in the German capital, Berlin. Germany said Russia was responsible for an attempted drone attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport on Aug. 4, when an explosives-laden drone was found near a Ukrainian plane. The airport is a major international freight hub used for providing support to Ukraine. The drone was later defused.

Moscow has denied involvement in the drone attack and cast it as a provocation. "It was the German authorities who once again provoked a new round of escalation in bilateral relations," the Russian Foreign Ministry said. "All responsibility for the consequences lies entirely with the German government." Western officials have repeatedly accused Moscow of conducting a campaign of sabotage and disruption in their countries with the aim of undermining support for Ukraine and destabilizing European nations, accusations Russia has rejected.