04/09/2026
Things just got super intense between Moscow and Berlin, and this time, language and literature are taking the hit! Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced that Russia is officially shutting down all Goethe-Institut cultural centers across the country, specifically in Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Yekaterinburg. Why the sudden move? Well, it is a direct tit-for-tat retaliation. Germany recently closed down the Russian House of Science and Culture in Berlin (and a consulate in Bonn) after blaming Moscow for an attempted drone incident at Leipzig Airport—an accusation Russia firmly denies. Lavrov made it clear that keeping the German centers open after their own cultural space was booted would show a lack of "self-respect," warning that this essentially wipes out Germany's official cultural presence in Russia.
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