Ukraine Urges World Governments to Shut Down ‘Russian Houses’
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha has officially urged governments worldwide to shut down the Kremlin’s network of “Russian House” cultural centers, characterizing them as hubs for state-sponsored disinformation, destabilization, and espionage.
Ukraine has implored governments around the globe to shut down Russian state cultural institutions known as "Russian Houses" (Russkiy Dom), expressing concern that the network serves as a tool for Russian state-sponsored misinformation, political destabilization, and espionage. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha underscored the importance of the cognitive domain in contemporary warfare as a critical battlefield, warning that Moscow is actively deploying a multifaceted cultural and educational system to advance its strategic interests internationally.
Sybiha highlighted Germany's recent decision to formally terminate the operating agreement for the prominent Russian House in central Berlin, citing ongoing hybrid influence concerns. He emphasized that the global network, including Rossotrudnichestvo and the Russkiy Dom cultural centers, functions to disseminate disinformation, destabilize peace, and engage in espionage.
Although several closures have occurred in Western capitals, the centers persist in at least seven European nations, with an even broader footprint across Africa, Central and Eastern Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, and South America. Russian cultural centers maintain formal integration into Russian diplomatic structures, receiving diplomatic protections.
Ukraine has formally communicated the national security threats posed by these facilities to foreign ministries worldwide, providing evidence and legal arguments for restricting or permanently closing them.
Written by urgent.news from Kyiv Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
