Russia will close German cultural institutions across the country, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced Thursday.

The decision follows Berlin’s accusation that Moscow was behind an attempted attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport, as well as Germany’s decision to shut the Russian Consulate in Bonn and the Russian House cultural center in Berlin.

Western governments have repeatedly accused Moscow of carrying out sabotage and disruption operations intended to weaken support for Ukraine and create instability across Europe. Russian authorities have rejected those accusations.

Lavrov said branches of Germany’s Goethe-Institut in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Yekaterinburg would be shut down. He argued that failing to respond would demonstrate a lack of “self-respect” by Russia.

Addressing the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Lavrov said Germany “could not have failed to understand” that closing Russian House would “mean the end of its cultural presence in Russia.”

An explosives-carrying drone was discovered close to a Ukrainian aircraft at Leipzig/Halle Airport on Aug. 4 and was later neutralized. The airport is a major cargo hub used to support deliveries connected to Ukraine.

Putin has rejected the claims against Russia, saying German leaders were trying to divert attention from domestic problems and voter dissatisfaction. He said any evidence presented had been “planted.”

EU considers response to attempted attack

European Union ministers on Wednesday discussed possible reactions to the attempted drone attack, though they faced difficulty identifying further options that would not involve military action.

“It is clear that this bears all the signs of state-sponsored terrorism. The question is: what do we do about it?” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told journalists before leading a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Ireland. Possible steps included sanctions, visa limits and the closure of Russian consulates.

The EU has introduced nearly two dozen sanctions packages against Russia over its war in Ukraine, targeting more than 3,000 officials, oligarchs and organizations, including banks, energy firms and drone producers. Kallas said the bloc was already preparing additional travel restrictions and asset freezes for another 1,600 people.

Germany stressed that it was “not at war,” but said it had become a “daily target” of the Kremlin’s hybrid operations. Putin again rejected the allegations, arguing that Berlin was attempting to shift focus away from internal failures and public dissatisfaction. He said the evidence had been “planted.”

German Foreign Minister Johan Wadephul said Berlin had developed its response carefully and that “Russia must now live with these consequences.” He urged Moscow “to demonstrate that it is also prepared for sensible discussions and negotiations, especially concerning the situation in Ukraine.”

Denmark warns of possible Russian sabotage

Danish security authorities have warned that Russian sabotage targeting the country’s defense sector could be imminent.

Danish intelligence agencies have identified indications of highly specific Russian planning for sabotage activities in Denmark, Emil Græsholm, head of counterintelligence at the PET national security and intelligence service, told Berlingske in an interview published Thursday.

He said likely targets include defense-industry businesses, particularly companies involved in supplying military equipment or components to Ukraine.

Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto told The Associated Press on Wednesday that the incident at Leipzig/Halle Airport was “a very serious act that could have extremely grave consequences.”

However, he said the threats would not deter Italy from continuing assistance for Kyiv, as Rome considers supplying SAMP/T air defense batteries. As elsewhere in the West, limited weapons-production capacity is making it harder to provide Ukraine with additional military support, he said.