Russians on the Goethe-Institut: 'Hostage to politics'

Germany's Goethe-Institut is set to close all Russian branches by Sunday, amid one of the worst spats in the history of relations between Russia and Germany .

The Russian Foreign Ministry ordered the closure of the German cultural centers in Moscow , St. Petersburg and Novosibirsk in response to Berlin's reaction to the attempted drone attack at Leipzig airport in early August.

In early September, German authorities blamed Moscow for organizing the attack and announced sanctions, which included closing the Russian culture and education center in Berlin, known as the Russian House , and the Russian Consulate General in Bonn, as well tightening visa restrictions for Russian citizens.

"All employees must cease their work in Russia as of September 13, 2026," Goethe-Institut Secretary General Gitte Zschoch said in a statement on Tuesday. "No more books can be borrowed from our libraries, and no further training can be offered. German language teachers are losing an important source of professional training and support. For people in Russia, this further restricts access to the German language, culture and reliable information from and about Germany."

DW asked its users in Russia to share how the closure of the Goethe-Institut will affect them personally. The responses received do not constitute a representative survey. All users shared their stories on conditions of anonymity. Russian authorities have labeled DW an "undesirable organization," making every cooperation with the media company a criminal offense.

Many DW readers fear that, after the closure of the Goethe-Institut branches, they or their relatives will no longer be able to take exams in Russia for internationally recognized German language certificates.

Some readers pointed out that closing the Goethe-Institut in Russia will hit ethnic Germans willing to relocate back to Germany, or late repatriates, especially hard.

"I no longer live in Russia, having emigrated as a late repatriate, but my parents are still in Russia and were planning to take exams at the Goethe-Institut this fall or winter before submitting their resettlement documents. It looks like they'll have to take the exams in another country, which means additional stress and expenses for them," one reader said.