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Goethe-Institut to Close Russia Branches by September 2026

By Drooid · Sep 13, 2026, 3:03 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Goethe-Institut will shut its Moscow, St. Petersburg and Novosibirsk branches by September 13, 2026.
Russia ordered the German cultural centres in those cities to close.
German teachers in Russia lost professional support and fear losing their jobs.
German-language learners fell to 10,000 in 2025, down from 16,000 pre-2023.
The institute administered about 22,000 exams and recorded 6,700 library visitors in 2025.

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Story summary

Goethe-Institut will shut its Moscow, St. Petersburg and Novosibirsk branches by September 13, 2026.
Russia ordered the German cultural centres in those cities to close.
German teachers in Russia lost professional support and fear losing their jobs.
German-language learners fell to 10,000 in 2025, down from 16,000 pre-2023.
The institute administered about 22,000 exams and recorded 6,700 library visitors in 2025.