Berlin weighs closing the Russian House for spying, yet a federal ministry just moved in beside it
One arm of the German government reviews shutting the site while another shares a wall with it, exposing a split over how seriously the threat is taken.
Germany is considering closing the Russian House, a cultural center suspected of being a front for Russian intelligence, after it was reported that part of a federal ministry has moved in next to it. The Federal Ministry for Digital Affairs opened a branch at Taubenstraße 42/43 on July 1st, sharing a wall with the Russian House on Friedrichstraße.
The ministry moved there because its main headquarters had run out of space, with two of its six departments now operating in the shared building. One department deals with digital infrastructure and cybersecurity, both fields that a hostile intelligence service would want to monitor. The Russian House, officially a science and culture center, is run by Rossotrudnichestvo, a Russian state agency sanctioned by the EU in 2022.
Leaked French intelligence suggests the building serves as cover for Russian intelligence. Germany has been facing a shadow campaign from Russia, including drone incursions, sabotage, and assassination plots across Europe since the war in Ukraine began. The Federal Ministry for Digital Affairs defended its decision, stating it picked the site because the building is federally owned and the right size, but did not address whether the proximity to the Russian House constitutes a security risk.
Written by urgent.news from Euromaidan Press's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
