The Russian Foreign Ministry declared on Monday that it will close the German consulate in St. Petersburg, ordering the facility to cease operations no later than September 18.
In a statement, the ministry accused Berlin of provoking “a new round of escalation” in bilateral relations, asserting that Germany bears “full and complete responsibility” for the resulting diplomatic consequences.
The decision is a direct countermeasure to Germany’s recent announcement that it would shut down the Russian consulate in Bonn and terminate the lease for Russia’s cultural center in Berlin. German authorities linked those moves to Moscow’s alleged involvement in an attempted drone attack at Leipzig Airport, a charge Russia has firmly rejected as an absurd fabrication.
The development marks the latest deterioration in diplomatic ties between the two nations.
St. Petersburg has always been a window to Europe. Closing the consulate shuts that window tighter than ever before.
Sept 18 feels like a hard deadline. How will daily consular services be handled for German citizens in the north now?
Did we really need to close cultural centers too? That cuts off people-to-people ties, not just diplomats.
Another fabricated reason? Moscow denies the drone allegation, yet Berlin insists. The truth is lost in this chaos.
This tit-for-tat escalation is exhausting. Both sides seem determined to burn every bridge left between them.