Russia's Foreign Ministry announced the closure of the German consulate in St. Petersburg, as reported by Russian state news agency RIA. The move follows Germany's closure of the Russian consulate in Bonn last week and its accusation that Moscow was involved in a drone incident at Leipzig Airport.
Russia's Foreign Ministry announced on Monday that it is closing the German consulate in St. Petersburg, escalating a diplomatic rift between Moscow and Berlin.
The decision, reported by Russian state news agency RIA, comes a week after Germany shut down the Russian consulate in Bonn and formally accused Moscow of involvement in the discovery of an explosive-laden drone at Leipzig/Halle Airport. Germany also raised its national threat level in response.
As The Zioneer reported on September 2, Russia had previously stated it would respond to the closure. The new measure directly targets German diplomatic presence in Russia. No details have been provided on the timeline for the consulate's closure or the status of its staff.
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