Russian MFA: Consulate closure in Bonn will not derail State Duma vote

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has accused Germany of deliberately obstructing Russia’s upcoming State Duma election by closing the Russian Consulate General in Bonn ahead of the vote, while saying Moscow will ensure Russian citizens in Germany can still cast their ballots.

Zakharova said Berlin had timed the closure to prevent a polling station from operating at the consulate and to complicate the establishment of an alternative or mobile voting facility.

“They closed it precisely within those timeframes so that, on the one hand, there would be no polling station there, and on the other hand, there would be no opportunity to organise some kind of mobile or additional [polling station]. They calculated the timing very precisely,” Zakharova said.

“But they will not disrupt our plans. We will provide our citizens who are in Germany with the opportunity to vote, despite all the machinations of official Berlin,” she added.

Germany announced the closure of the Russian Consulate General in Bonn as part of measures taken after Berlin said Russia was responsible for an attempted drone attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport. Moscow has rejected the German allegations.

The closure has affected electoral arrangements in Germany. According to Russian diplomatic information, the polling station established at the Bonn consulate has been dissolved, while voting for Russian citizens in Germany remains available at a polling station established at the Russian Embassy in Berlin.

Russia’s ninth State Duma election is scheduled for September 18-20, 2026. The Central Election Commission has formally set voting for those three days, while voting abroad is being conducted through polling stations established at Russian diplomatic missions.

By Tamilla Hasanova