Russia closes the General Consulate of Germany in Saint Petersburg. The diplomatic mission will end its activity on September 18.
All employees of the Consulate must leave Russia by this date. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Moscow has also officially announced the closure of the Goethe Institute offices in Russia. Their employees will leave the country by September 13.
“The responsibility for the consequences of this new round of escalation in relations between Russia and Germany lies entirely with Berlin,” announced the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
On September 1, Germany announced the closure of the Russian consulate in Bonn and the closure of the Russian House in Berlin, writes Meduza. This happened after the sabotage at Leipzig Airport, when drones with explosives were found in the airport station area, including near a Ukrainian plane carrying military equipment.
The German authorities have officially accused Russia of sabotage actions, in the context of the incident.