Russia will shutter German cultural centers across the country, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Thursday.<\/p>\n
The move comes after Berlin blamed Moscow for an attempted attack at Leipzig\/Halle Airport and announced the closure of both the Russian Consulate in Bonn and the Russian House cultural center in the German capital.<\/p>\n
Lavrov said that cultural centers belonging to Germany\u2019s Goethe-Institut would be closed in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Yekaterinburg, adding that any other response would show a lack of \u201cself-respect\u201d on Russia\u2019s part.<\/p>\n
Speaking at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Lavrov said that Germany \u201ccould not have failed to understand\u201d that the closure of Russian House would \u201csignify the end of their cultural presence in Russia.\u201d<\/p>\n
A drone laden with explosives was found near a Ukrainian plane at Leipzig\/Halle Airport on Aug. 4 and later defused. The airport is a major international freight hub used for providing support to Ukraine<\/a>.<\/p>\n Moscow has been widely accused by Western officials of running a campaign of sabotage and disruption with the aim of undermining support for Ukraine and destabilizing European nations.<\/p>\n Putin has dismissed the allegations, saying Berlin wants to distract from its own failings and dissatisfaction among voters. Any proof being offered \u201chas been planted,\u201d Putin said.<\/p>\n EU looks to respond after attempted attack<\/p>\n European Union ministers on Wednesday weighed how best to respond to the attempted drone attack but struggled to find new ways to meet the challenge without resorting to military means.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is clear that it has all the hallmarks of state-sponsored terrorism. The question is: what do we do about this,\u201d EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told reporters before chairing a meeting of the bloc\u2019s foreign ministers in Ireland. They discussed sanctions, visa restrictions and shutting Russian consulates, among other measures. <\/p>\n