Germany Terminates Berlin Russian House Lease Over Aug. 4 Drone Attack Retaliation
Updated
Updated · DW (English) · Sep 1
Germany Terminates Berlin Russian House Lease Over Aug. 4 Drone Attack Retaliation
3 articles · Updated · DW (English) · Sep 1
Summary
Johann Wadephul said Germany will rescind the operating contract for Berlin’s Russian House, making the Soviet-era cultural center one of several targets in retaliation for Russia’s role in the Aug. 4 attempted drone attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport.
The seven-story, nearly 30,000-square-meter building on Friedrichstrasse is run by Rossotrudnichestvo, a Russian state agency under EU sanctions since 2022 and long criticized in Germany as a propaganda and possible intelligence hub.
Berlin had previously hesitated because the site’s legal status is tied to bilateral cultural and property agreements, and officials feared Moscow could answer by shutting the Goethe-Institut in Moscow.
That risk remains acute: the Goethe-Institut already cut back in Russia in 2023 after staffing limits and account freezes, while broader Russian restrictions have made direct German-Russian cultural contacts increasingly unworkable.