{
  "id": 1475553,
  "title": "Berlin weighs closing the Russian House for spying, yet a federal ministry just moved in beside it",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/17/berlin-weighs-closing-the-russian-house-for-spying-yet-a-federal",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-17T12:04:26.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Euromaidan Press",
    "slug": "euromaidan-press",
    "url": "https://euromaidanpress.com/2026/08/17/berlin-weighs-closing-the-russian-house-for-spying-yet-a-federal-ministry-just-moved-in-beside-it/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "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.",
  "summary": "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.",
  "key_points": [
    "Berlin considers closing Russian House due to spying suspicions.",
    "Federal Ministry for Digital Affairs moved next to Russian House.",
    "Ministry's cybersecurity department shares building with Russian House."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}