Russia Closes German Consulate General in Saint Petersburg... Bilateral Relations Cool

[Financial News] Diplomatic confrontation between the two countries is reaching a critical point as the Russian government orders the closure of the German Consulate General in Saint Petersburg.
On the 7th (local time), foreign media outlets including Deutsche Welle (DW) reported that the Russian Foreign Ministry had ordered the suspension of all operations at the German Consulate General in Saint Petersburg until the 18th and the departure of all diplomats and staff.
This measure is a retaliatory response to Germany's recent closure of Russian diplomatic facilities within its borders.
The conflict between the two countries exploded after the German government accused Russia of being behind a recent attempted drone attack targeting Leipzig/Halle Airport. In response, Germany abruptly closed the Russian Consulate General in Bonn and the "Russian House," a cultural center in Berlin. Russia retaliated by closing all Goethe-Instituts within its borders by the 13th and expelling their staff. The Goethe-Institut is directly operated by the German government.
The Russian Foreign Ministry claimed in a Telegram statement that "Germany has caused a new level of tension in bilateral relations" and that "Germany bears full responsibility for all resulting consequences."
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov strongly refuted the attribution of German involvement in the drone attacks, criticizing them as "absolutely unacceptable measures reminiscent of the precursors to World War II" and stating that "Germany wants war again." Russian President Vladimir Putin also categorically denied the allegations, claiming that the evidence had been fabricated.
Relations between the two countries have continued to deteriorate since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, as Germany has provided large-scale civilian and military assistance to Ukraine.
Germany provided $50 billion (about 67 trillion won) in civilian aid and about $67 billion (about 90 trillion won) in military aid to Ukraine after the outbreak of the war.
With the closure of the Saint Petersburg consulate effectively collapsing the diplomatic bridgehead between the two countries, relations have entered their worst phase of tension since the Cold War.
[email protected] Yoon Jae-jun Reporter