Russia Closes Goethe-Institutes, Retaliating After Germany Blames It for Sabotage

[Financial News] Russia has decided to close Goethe-Institutes in the country. Germany immediately responded by closing Russian consulates and terminating the contract for a Russian cultural center in Berlin.
Tensions between Russia and Germany are escalating as Russia takes retaliatory measures after Germany blamed Russia for a drone attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport last month.
According to The Associated Press on the 3rd (local time), Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Russia had decided to close the Goethe-Institutes. The institutes in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Yekaterinburg are among those targeted for closure.
European countries have suspected that Russia is carrying out sabotage as part of a hybrid strategy to find a way forward amid the prolonged war in Ukraine.
Against this backdrop, Germany immediately identified Russia as being behind an explosive drone attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport.
Germany viewed the drone attack not as an isolated incident, but as an extension of Russia’s hybrid operations.
Russia protested that Germany had fabricated the incident to overcome its domestic political difficulties, but European countries did not abandon their suspicions.
Poland, Denmark, Finland, the United Kingdom, the Czech Republic and the Republic of Lithuania summoned Russian diplomats in their countries over the issue. Norway also seized a Russian vessel in Svalbard at the request of a Ukrainian state-owned energy company.
However, incidents that raise suspicions of Russian involvement continue to occur. A power-grid attack apparently aimed at causing a large-scale blackout occurred for two consecutive days at an Amprion substation in Bergheim, in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, western Germany. In addition, a defense-industry complex in Munich was targeted in an arson attack.
The European Union is seeking ways to respond to Russia’s sabotage, but is struggling to find a solution that does not involve military means, AP reported.


[email protected] Lee Seok-woo, International Affairs Specialist Reporter