Russia shutters German consulate as diplomatic freeze deepens

Moscow retaliates after similar move from Berlin last week citing failed drone attack on airport.

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has accused Germany of wanting 'war again' as relations continue to deteriorate [File: AFP]

Moscow has ordered the closure of the German consulate in St Petersburg.

Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Monday that the consulate in the second city must cease operations by September 18.

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The order represents a tit-for-tat move, and brings into the open the growing ill feeling between the two countries amid Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Berlin shuttered two Russian diplomatic operations in Germany last week, having accused Moscow of being behind an attempted drone attack on Leipzig Airport .

In a statement published on Telegram on Monday, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said Germany has “provoked a new round of escalation in bilateral relations”, and bears “full responsibility for the consequences”.

Russia has now ordered that all diplomats and staff from the St Petersburg consulate must leave the country by September 18.

On Sunday, Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov denounced Germany for its accusation regarding the drone attack, and asserted that the allegations marked “the beginning of a real war”.

The closure of the German consulate marks a new low in Moscow and Berlin’s diplomatic relations, which have seriously deteriorated since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Germany has emerged as one of Ukraine’s strongest supporters in Europe, allocating more than $50bn in civilian aid for Kyiv and almost $67bn in military assistance, according to its Foreign Ministry.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly condemned the West’s support for Ukraine.

Tensions between Berlin and Moscow increased last week as Germany made the accusation regarding the failed drone attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport.

Putin has dismissed the allegations, claiming, without offering details, that the evidence was “planted”.

As it revealed the accusations, Germany ordered the closure of Russia’s consulate general in Bonn and the Russian House cultural centre in Berlin.

Moscow retaliated by ordering all branches of Germany’s Goethe-Institut closed. Its staff members have been ordered to leave Russia by Sunday.

Lavrov said Berlin’s closure of Russia’s diplomatic institutions last week reminded him of events that preceded World War II, describing the measures as “absolutely unacceptable” and accusing Germany of wanting “war again”.

上周柏林方面以无人机袭击机场未遂为由采取类似行动，莫斯科对此予以报复。

俄罗斯外长谢尔盖·拉夫罗夫指责德国想要“再次开战”，两国关系持续恶化。[图片来源：法新社]

莫斯科已下令关闭德国驻圣彼得堡领事馆。

俄罗斯外交部周一宣布，驻第二大城市的领事馆必须在9月18日之前停止运作。

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美国特使会见普京的三人名单之二：俄乌战争最新外交举措背后有何深意？

美国三位特使中的第三位在首次访问基辅期间与泽连斯基举行了“实质性”会谈。

该命令代表着以牙还牙的举动，也让俄罗斯对乌克兰发动战争之际，两国之间日益增长的敌意公开化。

上周，柏林关闭了俄罗斯在德国的两个外交机构，指责莫斯科是企图对莱比锡机场发动无人机袭击的幕后黑手。

俄罗斯外交部周一在 Telegram 上发表声明称，德国“挑起了双边关系新一轮的升级”，并“应对由此产生的后果承担全部责任”。

俄罗斯现已下令，圣彼得堡领事馆所有外交官和工作人员必须在9月18日之前离开该国。

周日，俄罗斯外交部长谢尔盖·拉夫罗夫谴责德国对无人机袭击事件的指控，并断言这些指控标志着“一场真正战争的开始”。

德国领事馆的关闭标志着莫斯科和柏林的外交关系跌至新低点，自俄罗斯于 2022 年 2 月入侵乌克兰以来，两国关系已严重恶化。

据德国外交部称，德国已成为乌克兰在欧洲最坚定的支持者之一，已向基辅提供了超过 500 亿美元的民事援助和近 670 亿美元的军事援助。

俄罗斯总统弗拉基米尔·普京多次谴责西方对乌克兰的支持。

上周，德国就莱比锡/哈勒机场无人机袭击未遂事件提出指责，导致柏林和莫斯科之间的紧张局势加剧。

普京驳斥了这些指控，声称（但没有提供细节）这些证据是“栽赃陷害”的。

在揭露这些指控后，德国下令关闭俄罗斯驻波恩总领事馆和位于柏林的俄罗斯之家文化中心。

莫斯科方面随即下令关闭德国歌德学院的所有分支机构，并勒令其所有工作人员在周日之前离开俄罗斯。

拉夫罗夫表示，柏林上周关闭俄罗斯外交机构的做法让他想起了二战前的事件，他称这些措施“绝对不可接受”，并指责德国想要“再次发动战争”。