German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has announced that the state has terminated its contract with the Russisches Haus in Berlin. The move comes as a result of growing suspicions around the building being used as a spy centre for the Russian state.
The measures are a reaction to the failed bombing attack at Leipzing/Halle Airport. “Taken together, police investigations, patterns of attack, and intelligence findings point to Russian responsibility for the attempted attack at Leipzig Airport,” said Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) on Tuesday.
“We do not view Leipzig as an isolated incident, but rather see it in conjunction with other hybrid actions,” Dobrindt added. “We assume that Germany is the target of further hybrid attacks by Russia,” the Interior Minister stated. The government will continue its course of supporting Ukraine and strengthening its own defence, Wadephul said.
The Russisches Haus in Berlin was founded during the DDR era and opened on July 5, 1984. It is housed in a large building complex on Friedrichstrasse in the Mitte district. According to its event calendar, the Berlin-based Russisches Haus offers exhibitions, readings, lectures, film screenings and art workshops. However, experts have pointed to suspiciously high energy consumption and unusual cell phone and GPS signals, indicating the presence of powerful transmitters, as evidence of espionage activity.
Politicians from various parties have long called for the closure of the Russisches Haus, a demand the German government has rejected, citing the legal situation.
Russia will respond to Germany’s sanctions in a “mirror image,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told the German Press Agency in Moscow. In Moscow, given the ongoing discussions about closing the Russisches Haus, it has been repeatedly suggested that the Goethe-Institut should then cease operations in retaliation.
