Tages-Anzeiger Switzerland · Feb. 2026 · Russian House Berlin Press Kit

What the article covers

First international coverage – Swiss quality press, print edition with photo essay
Places the Russian House in the context of Russia's hybrid war against the West
Berlin data protection authority investigating: cameras may have illegally filmed public streets
Public prosecutor investigating suspected undisclosed apartment rentals – door buzzers show numbers only
Court upheld Bundesbank's refusal to pay electricity bills due to sanctions concerns
Lindemeier and Karin S. as a duo – active again after a pause caused by police incidents
Director Izvolskiy denies connection to Rossotrudnitschestwo – archived websites prove the opposite

Why it matters International reach – the Russian House is not a German fringe issue but part of the European debate on Russian influence operations and sanctions evasion.

This article was originally published in German. The following is an English summary of the key content.

On a cold morning in Berlin, the troublemakers are back. Henry Lindemeier and Karin S. – who does not want her surname in the newspaper – pull their Ukrainian flags over aluminium poles and position themselves in front of the Russian House. Their goal: the closure of the controversial centre.

The operator of the House is the Russian agency Rossotrudnitschestwo, which is on the EU sanctions list. The EU accuses it of spreading Kremlin narratives to undermine Ukraine's sovereignty. Legal consequence: asset freeze and a prohibition on making funds available. This means the Russian House may not conduct business. Yet language courses run, the restaurant on the first floor stays open, and a translation service and a lawyer are based there.

"The German state is financing this propaganda house as well." – Henry Lindemeier

Lindemeier points to an HSG study describing the Russian House as part of Putin's soft power network. Director Izvolskiy declined a meeting and left submitted questions unanswered. He has said elsewhere that the House is not on the sanctions list and acts independently of Rossotrudnitschestwo. Archived websites once stated the connection explicitly – the reference has since been deleted.

While justice investigates, the German state pays the property tax for the building: €70,000 per year from the federal budget. A German-Russian agreement requires this.

"They won't break us that easily." – Karin S., Lindemeier's fellow protester

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