Russia will close German cultural centers after Berlin blames Moscow for airport drone plot

WARSAW, Poland — Russia will shutter German cultural centers across the country, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Thursday, in a tit-for-tat measure that reflected soured relations and deepening tensions between Moscow and European countries helping Ukraine resist Russia’s invasion.

Lavrov’s announcement came after Berlin blamed Moscow for an attempted attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport. Germany said Wednesday it was consequently closing both the Russian Consulate in Bonn and the Russian House cultural center in the German capital.

Western officials have repeatedly accused Moscow of running a campaign of sabotage and disruption in their countries with the aim of undermining support for Ukraine and destabilizing European nations, something Russian officials deny.

Europe increasingly views itself as facing what it calls a hybrid war with Russia, marked by tools such as cyberwarfare and disinformation as well as a conventional military threat. Each side accuses the other of state terrorism.

The tension has continued for months and grown into one of the greatest foreign and defense policy challenges for countries in the European Union. Russian President Vladimir Putin is testing the West with tactics that fall “just below the threshold of war” and is determined to “harass NATO members,” the head of Britain’s MI6…

Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/world