Cultural Escalation

Russia will close multiple branches of Germany's Goethe Institute in response to Germany ordering the closure of a Russian cultural centre in Berlin, Moscow said Thursday, amid spiralling tensions between the two countries. The Goethe Institute, funded by Germany's foreign office, is a nonprofit organisation that promotes the study of the German language.

The announcement comes after Germany imposed sanctions on Moscow this week, including the closure of a cultural centre in Berlin, accusing it of an attempted "hybrid attack" on Leipzig airport last month. Russia has described Germany's allegations as unsubstantiated and "absurd".

"The Germans have branches of the Goethe Institute here. Of course, they'll be closed once our cultural centre has been forced out over there," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said, according to state TASS news agency. He said the group's branches in Moscow, Saint Petersburg and Yekaterinburg would be closed.

Regret

Germany said it regretted Russia's decision. "The Goethe Institute has played an important role in Russia as a cultural bridge, and we would have been prepared to continue that," German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul told reporters. Russia summoned Germany's charge d'affaires on Wednesday over what it called Berlin's "anti-Russian actions" in response to the Leipzig incident.