🔶 Drone attack on Leipzig; Russia shuts down the Goethe Institute

According to Sergey Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister, the Moscow government will close the branches of the Goethe Institute in Russia. Speaking to the state news agency Interfax Russia in the city of Vladivostok, the Russian foreign minister said that the move is in response to the announcement of the closure of the “Russian House” in Berlin.

On Tuesday, Germany introduced Russia as being responsible for a suspected attack using a drone carrying explosive material in early August on the Leipzig/Halle airport.

Closing the Russian consulate general in Bonn, summoning the Russian ambassador in Berlin, canceling the “Russian House” contract in Berlin, and tightening controls on the entry of Russian citizens into Germany are also among the measures Germany will take.

Berlin holds Moscow responsible for the attack. Russia firmly rejects the claim. Lavrov, who was in Vladivostok to attend the “Eastern Economic Forum,” criticized the issue that German officials had not provided any evidence. He added: “They saw a drone and decided that its appearance looks like a Russian drone.”

Russia denies any connection with the drone that was found at the airport. Moscow describes the episode involving the airborne object, which had not exploded, as a cheap “provocative act” that serves only the interests of militaristic circles in Europe and Ukraine.

In addition to its main office in Moscow, the Goethe Institute also has other cultural centers in Saint Petersburg and Yekaterinburg.