The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has defended the blocking of the German Goethe Institute’s accounts in Russia, which it described as a “proportional response” to similar measures taken against the Russian House of Science and Culture (RDNK) in Berlin in December 2022. Maria Zakharova, the official representative of the ministry, said that the German institute’s accounts could be unfrozen if the accounts of the Russian House in Germany were unblocked “completely and unconditionally”. The Russian Foreign Ministry had warned Germany for several months “about the inevitability of such actions”, according to Zakharova. In January, the ministry had given Germany an ultimatum that if the restrictions against the Russian House in Berlin were not lifted, then Moscow would take similar measures against the branches of the Goethe Institute in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Novosibirsk. The German institute later confirmed the blocking of its accounts after cancelling language exams in March.
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained the blocking of the accounts of the German Goethe Institute in Russia as a “proportionate response” to similar measures against the Russian House of Science and Culture (RDNK) in Berlin in December 2022. The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, admitted that the accounts of the German institute could be unfrozen after there was a “complete and unconditional” unblocking of the accounts of the Russian House in Germany.
The Russian Foreign Ministry noted that Moscow had repeatedly warned for several months “about the inevitability of such actions if the German authorities did not stop exerting administrative and political pressure on the RDNK.” “Berlin, however, chose to ignore our unequivocal warnings,” reads the comments Mrs Zakharova.
The Russian Foreign Ministry warned Germany in January that if the restrictions against the Russian House in Berlin were not lifted, then Moscow would take similar measures against the branches of the Goethe Institute in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Novosibirsk. At the end of March, the German institute canceled language exams, the German Foreign Ministry later confirmed the blocking of the institution’s accounts.
As tensions continue to rise between Russia and Germany, the recent blocking of the accounts of the German Goethe Institute in Russia has caused concern for cultural exchange between the two nations. The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has defended the move as a proportional response to similar measures taken against the Russian House of Science and Culture in Berlin. However, the situation remains tense, with Moscow warning that the accounts of the German institute will only be unfrozen if there is a complete and unconditional unblocking of the accounts of the Russian House in Germany. It remains to be seen how this situation will unfold and what impact it may have on the relationship between Russia and Germany.