Russia will shut down Goethe-Institut branches in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Yekaterinburg in retaliation for Germany's closure of the Russian House of Science and Culture in Berlin the Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced Thursday.
Speaking at a lecture in Vladivostok during the Eastern Economic Forum, Lavrov rejected claims of Russian involvement in a drone incident at Leipzig Airport in early August with saying German authorities based their accusation merely on the drone's resemblance to those used by Russia.
"Of course, they will be closed after our cultural center was expelled from there," Lavrov said of the Goethe-Institut branches with adding that failing to respond would be a matter of self-respect.
He said Germany's move effectively ends its cultural presence in Russia which had persisted despite strained relations over the Ukraine war.
Germany announced on September 1 that it would terminate the agreement governing the Russian House in Berlin also blaming Russia for the Leipzig drone incident. The Russian Embassy in Berlin denied the accusation and calling it a provocation and warning that Germany's action marks a serious escalation in bilateral relations.
