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.
