Russia to close German consulate in St. Petersburg amid Leipzig drone attack dispute
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Russia's Foreign Ministry announced on Sept. 7 that it was closing down the German consulate in St. Petersburg in retaliation for similar steps taken by Berlin, amid escalating tensions between the two countries.
Germany has accused Russia of an attempted drone attack at Leipzig Airport in early August and said it was closing the Russian consulate in Bonn and the Russian House in Berlin.
Russia denounced what it called "unfriendly actions" by Germany and ordered the German consulate in Russia's second-largest city to close by Sept. 18, and all staff to leave by then.
The Russian government also confirmed that all branches of Germany's Goethe-Institut in Russia must close by Sept. 13.
The Leipzig incident marks the first time the German government has publicly accused Russia of a hybrid attack on its soil, amid Western warnings about Moscow-backed operations across Europe.
Drones were discovered on Aug. 4 at Leipzig/Halle Airport, with one colliding with a cargo plane. Another reportedly carried explosives that were intended to strike a Ukrainian Airlines Antonov cargo plane stationed there.
Apart from shuttering Russian diplomatic and cultural buildings in Germany, Berlin has called for tougher sanctions against Russia and is reportedly set to provide Ukraine with additional air defenses and intelligence support.
