Controversial institution: Interior Ministry: Russian House "in sight"
Against the "House of Science and Culture" on Berlin's Friedrichstraße, there have been repeated demands for closure since the start of the Ukraine war. But the federal government says: It's complicated.
Despite fresh accusations against the Berlin Russian House cultural center, a closure of the institution appears unlikely. A spokesperson for the Foreign Office pointed to two agreements with Russia that must be upheld and cannot be easily terminated. These agreements also pertained to the Goethe-Institute in Moscow. "These two institutions are therefore directly connected," the spokesperson said.
A Reuters-Süddeutsche Zeitung research team had reported last week on an assessment by the French Interior Ministry. The report stated that the Russian House was being used as a cover by Russian intelligence services. Such accusations had also been made in the past. A spokeswoman for the Federal Interior Ministry said that possible influence or disinformation activities from the security services would of course be taken into account.
The Foreign Office spokesperson speculated that only cultural diplomats were active in the Russian House, "which I doubt." However, he emphasized the complex legal situation. The managing company of the Russian House is sanctioned due to Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, and Germany has cut all state cooperation with Russia.
The officially registered activities of the Russian House are very limited. However, there are two bilateral agreements between Germany and Russia regarding "real estate matters." The federal government pays the property tax, and according to the information, Germany and Russia jointly pay the property tax for the respective buildings in Berlin and Moscow.
The Foreign Office pays the Russian House €70,000 annually to the state of Berlin. "So there is no payment to the Russian House," the Foreign Office spokesperson emphasized. CDU foreign policy expert Roderich Kiesewetter had already called for the immediate closure of the 1984-founded institution on Friedrichstraße and spoke of an extended arm of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The Russian House had declared itself a cultural institution and its activities were based on the existing bilateral government agreements when asked.
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