Russia intensifies hybrid war beyond Ukraine, rattling Europe

In September, Germany’s Foreign Ministry closed the Russian House in Berlin, Russia’s largest cultural center overseas. Open for over 40 years, the center continued functioning despite Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and widespread EU sanctions. The decision was precipitated by a drone attack on Leipzig Airport, which German authorities deemed Russian sabotage.

In August, a DHL cargo plane at Leipzig Airport had to make an abrupt ascent when the airport closed unexpectedly. Post-landing, inspectors discovered minor damage caused by an unidentified flying object. Subsequent drone strikes near Leipzig Airport spurred a German investigation, ultimately attributing the attempted sabotage to Russia.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova dismissed Germany’s decision, citing the Russian House’s primary purpose as teaching Russian, which reportedly generated significant demand. Notably, the Russian House boasted more than 70 locations worldwide, established in 2008 under President Dmitry Medvedev’s decree. Officially managed by the Foreign Ministry, Rossotrudnichestvo, the Russian federal agency for cultural outreach abroad, facilitates language courses and promotes Russian culture, science, and education.

Following the EU’s sanctions in July 2022, Russian Houses suspended operations in Slovenia, Slovakia, Croatia, North Macedonia, Montenegro, and Romania.

The Russian House in Baku also ceased operations in 2025, following a passenger plane crash near Aktau. Similarly, in Chișinău, Moldova closed the Russian House indefinitely, deeming it a "tool of the Kremlin’s hybrid influence." Despite the sanctions against Rossotrudnichestvo, the Berlin Russian House persisted, occupying a 29,000-square-meter building on Friedrichstraße since 1984, initially the House of Soviet Culture and Science.

The center, open to the public, features a Russian language school, a library, cultural spaces, and an exhibition area, attracting over three million visitors in the past 15 years. However, post-2022, certain activities, including screenings of RT material depicting Ukrainians as Nazis and historical exhibitions, drew controversy.

The Russian House's operations are governed by two agreements signed in 2011 and 2013, granting Russia the right to lease the building for a century in exchange for annual property tax payments of around 70,000 euros. While Germany faced restrictions on receiving funds due to EU legal limitations, the Russian House continued generating revenue from apartment and office rentals.

The building housed 115 residents in June 2023, primarily supporting ongoing operations. Investigations into espionage allegations increased after the invasion began, with Berlin prosecutors probing the facility's potential use for covert activities and sanctions evasion in January 2023.