Germany Orders Staff of Russian House in Berlin to Leave Country Within Seven Days

Germany has ordered the staff of the Russian House of Science and Culture in Berlin to leave the country within seven days, according to Russian Ambassador to Berlin Sergey Nechayev. The expulsion directive follows an official determination by the German government blaming Russia for an early August drone incident at Leipzig/Halle Airport, as reported by TASS.

Ambassador Nechayev told Russian reporters that while the intergovernmental agreement governing the cultural center’s activities officially expires in the summer of 2027, the personnel working on site represent the institution and Russia’s Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States Affairs, Compatriots Living Abroad (Rossotrudnichestvo), mandating their immediate departure within a week, as cited by TASS. The Berlin facility, situated on Friedrichstrasse, is a sprawling seven-story center that opened in 1984 in what was then East Berlin, hosting concerts, exhibitions, language courses, a cinema, an art workshop, and a reading lounge with a book exchange, according to Kyiv Post.

Diplomatic Fallout and Cultural Center Operations

The expulsion order is part of a broader package of retaliatory measures announced by Berlin on Tuesday. Alongside the cessation of operations at the Russian House in Berlin, the German government ordered the closure of the Russian Consulate General in Bonn, responding directly to security breaches and hybrid threats. While the framework allowed for termination every five years—with a looming deadline of December 6, 2026, to notify Moscow ahead of a potential June 2027 exit—Berlin has now accelerated actions against the facility amid escalating security concerns.

Hybrid Warfare Concerns and Airport Drone Incident

The crackdown was precipitated by an early August incident at Leipzig/Halle Airport, where an explosive-laden drone was discovered near a Ukrainian Antonov cargo aircraft, according to Kyiv Post. German federal prosecutors have taken over the investigation into the event.

Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt categorized the incident as a possible hybrid attack scenario orchestrated by a foreign power, warning that Germany faces daily threats of espionage, sabotage, cyberattacks, and covert operations. The Russian Embassy in Berlin responded to the measures by condemning the government’s actions, calling the Leipzig/Halle Airport incident a hastily concocted provocation that serves exclusively the interests of Kiev and the militarist wing of the European political class, as reported by TASS. Rossotrudnichestvo, which operates the cultural center, has faced European Union sanctions since July 2022 following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, resulting in the freeze of its EU assets.