European Commission cannot ban operation of Russian Houses in Europe — spokeswoman

European Commission cannot ban operation of Russian Houses in Europe — spokeswoman Such decisions can only be made by national governments, Paula Pinho said BRUSSELS, September 3. /TASS/. The European Commission does not have the authority to ban the operation of Russian Houses in European capitals; such decisions can only be made by national governments, Spokeswoman Paula Pinho told reporters. "As for the national houses representing Russia in the [EU] member states, it is obviously up to the member states to look into it and appreciate the opportunity of having such entities closed. This is fully their prerogative," she noted. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov previously stated that Russia would close the Goethe-Institut branches in Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Yekaterinburg in response to the German authorities’ closure of the Russian House in Berlin. On Tuesday, the German government officially blamed Russia for the drone incident at Leipzig/Halle Airport and announced countermeasures. Specifically, the Russian Consulate General in Bonn will close on September 18. Other measures include terminating the agreement governing the activities of the Russian House in Berlin and tightening entry controls for Russian citizens. Russian Ambassador to Germany Sergey Nechayev rejected all accusations made by Germany, calling them unsubstantiated and absurd. Russian President Vladimir Putin noted that Germany's recent anti-Russian decisions, made under the pretext of the Leipzig Airport drone incident, are another grave mistake by the German authorities that goes against the interests of their people. According to him, these decisions are linked to Germany's domestic political situation and, in particular, Chancellor Friedrich Merz's difficult position. On the evening of August 4, a drone carrying a homemade explosive device was found on the tarmac at Leipzig/Halle Airport near a Ukrainian cargo plane. Thankfully, the detonator failed to go off. That same night, a second drone collided with a DHL cargo plane. Ten days later, investigators found a third drone, as well as traces of a powerful explosive, presumably containing about 50 grams of hexogen. The German Federal Prosecutor’s Office is handling the investigation. 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