Ukraine calls for Russian Houses to be closed in all countries

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha has called for Russian cultural centers, known as Russkiy Dom, to be closed globally, according to Ukrinform. These centers, including Rossotrudnichestvo, are tools of disinformation, destabilization, and espionage, he emphasized. Ukraine's top diplomat stressed that the cognitive aspect of modern warfare cannot be overlooked.

Sybiha commended the measures taken by European authorities to block these networks, citing the closure of a Russian House in Berlin, Germany, after years of alleged influence. Despite recent closures, some centers persist in at least seven European countries, and the network's influence is even more widespread in Africa, Central and East Asia, the Asia-Pacific region, and South America.

The Ukrainian minister argued that these centers should not have a place in Europe, where they promote war propaganda and threaten regional peace. In response to sabotage at Leipzig Airport, Germany plans to close Russia's Consulate General in Bonn and terminate the agreement concerning the Berlin Russkiy Dom by September 18.