Germany considers shutting down Berlin's “Russian House” after Leipzig airport drone incident

The German government is contemplating the closure of the Russian House cultural center in Berlin, in light of a drone attack on a Ukrainian plane at Leipzig/Halle airport, according to Der Spiegel, on August 21. Berlin is contemplating the suspension of the center's operating agreement. While German officials have not yet publicly accused Moscow of the Leipzig airport incident, intelligence authorities are reportedly favoring that theory.

The Russian House, situated on Berlin's Friedrichstrasse, is officially classified as a cultural center, but German security forces suspect it functions as a covert intelligence hub. The Russian House operates under a dual legal agreement: a 99-year lease signed with Russia in 2013, and a February 2011 intergovernmental accord that permits a review or termination every five years.

Germany's chance to revoke the cultural agreement arrives on June 7, 2027. Earlier, Berlin was reluctant to cancel the agreement due to its implications for German cultural institutions in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Officials worry that tackling the Berlin center would prompt Russia to shut down the Goethe-Institut's offices in Russia.

A decision on the government's next actions might be made as early as next week, during a two-day cabinet meeting in Neuhardenberg, Spiegel reported. A drone equipped with a detonator and explosive material was discovered at Leipzig/Halle Airport on August 5, serving as a base for Ukrainian Antonov aircraft since 2022. The drone was spotted on a runway near a Ukrainian An-124 Ruslan cargo plane.

Flights were rerouted due to the incident. One DHL cargo plane delayed its landing and performed an extra circuit after colliding with an unidentified object, possibly another drone, as confirmed by pilots. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt stated on August 6 that the incident did not seem like the work of amateurs and that a foreign state might have been involved.

Ukraine's Foreign Ministry reported that no one was injured, and Antonov-manufactured aircraft were unharmed. Media outlets claimed the drone was found near an An-124 carrying ammunition, but Germany's Interior Ministry refuted this claim. U.S. officials familiar with intelligence assessments of the incident told The Wall Street Journal that the drone with the explosive payload was likely linked to the Russian government.