The Goethe-Institut plans to keep the Russian-language version of its website online despite the closure of the German cultural organization’s offices in Russia, the institute told The Insider. It also said it would preserve access to its online library and Russian-language materials for learning German.
On Sept. 3, Russian authorities announced that they would close Goethe-Institut’s centers in Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Novosibirsk in response to Germany’s decision to shut the Russian House in Berlin. The Goethe-Institut said its centers in Russia would stop operating Monday, Sept. 14.
Russia has ordered Goethe-Institut employees posted to the country to leave no later than Sept. 13. Gitte Zschoch, the organization’s secretary-general, said that “the doors of the Goethe-Institut centers [in Russia] will therefore close as early as next Monday [Sept. 14].”
She said the move would restrict access for people living in Russia to the German language, German culture, and reliable information about Germany, adding that the institute was working with Germany’s Foreign Office on ways to preserve opportunities for exchange and cooperation, including through online services. The organization could not say what would happen to courses and exam slots in Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Novosibirsk that customers had already paid for.
