Following a drone incident in Leipzig and the closure of the Russian House in Berlin, Goethe-Institutes in Russia are being forced to close their doors. Jens Siegert, a former long-term employee of the Goethe-Institut in Moscow, attributes the closures to a broader shift in President Putin’s approach to international exchange. He suggests Putin views such programs with increasing suspicion, framing them as vehicles for Western influence. The closures mark a significant blow to cultural diplomacy between Russia and Germany. Siegert’s experience highlights the diminishing space for independent cultural organizations operating within Russia. This situation reflects a tightening of control over foreign influence and a growing isolationism in Russian foreign policy. The closures signal a further deterioration in relations between Russia and the West.