Germany’s St. Petersburg consulate closes amid escalating diplomatic retaliation between Berlin and Moscow

On September 17, the German Consulate General in St. Petersburg closed its doors, following a series of escalating diplomatic retaliation between Berlin and Moscow. By the afternoon of that day, the consulate's German flag, national emblem, and other symbols had been removed from the Furshtatskaya Street building. The mission's website announced that the German Embassy in Moscow would assume the responsibilities of the closed consulate general.

Earlier in September, Russia's Foreign Ministry had withdrawn permission for the German Consulate General to operate, making the closure inevitable by September 18. All employees were instructed to leave the country on that date. The decision to close the consulate came after Germany announced it would close the Russian consulate in Bonn.

On September 1, German authorities sanctioned Russia following the discovery of a drone carrying explosives at Leipzig Airport, near a Ukrainian An-124 cargo plane transporting ammunition.

German authorities accused Russia of attempting to sabotage the airport, a claim denied by Moscow. In response, Russia closed the Goethe-Institut in Berlin by September 13. Meduza, the news organization behind this story, adheres to a strict editorial policy regarding the use of artificial intelligence in the newsroom. This particular account was authored by one of their human journalists and translated from Russian using an AI model that has undergone extensive testing for accuracy.

Meduza editors review every draft before publication, ensuring the English-language coverage is timely and precise. For more exclusive English content, subscribers can access Meduza's newsletter via the provided link.