Closed
- Lithuania
- Poland
- Sweden
- Republic of Moldova
Still open / under investigation
- Germany – open, despite sanctions
- Czech Republic – sporadically open, under investigation
- France – open
The strongest case: Republic of Moldova
The Republic of Moldova is not an EU member. It shares a border with Ukraine, has Russian troops stationed in Transnistria, and is economically far more dependent on Russia than Germany – and yet it closed the Russian House in Chișinău.
Culture Minister Cristian Jardan justified the closure in November 2025 by stating that the centre was financed by Rossotrudnichestvo – "the main state agency projecting the Kremlin's soft power" – and could be used to promote "distorted Russian narratives."
When a country under direct Russian pressure manages what Germany does not dare – that is no longer an argument. It is a choice.
Lithuania closed the Rossotrudnichestvo centre in Vilnius – one of the first EU countries to act decisively after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Lithuania also expelled the Russian ambassador and reduced diplomatic relations to a bare minimum.
TAZ, April 2025 / Lithuania–Russia relations, Wikipedia
Poland closed the Russian cultural centre in Warsaw. The country is one of Ukraine's most committed supporters and has consistently treated Russian state cultural institutions as propaganda instruments.
TAZ, April 2025
Sweden closed the Russian cultural centre in Stockholm. As a new NATO member, Sweden has fundamentally reassessed its approach to Russian state institutions.
TAZ, April 2025
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Republic of Moldova
Closed – November 2025
The Moldovan government voted in November 2025 to close the Russian House in Chișinău. Culture Minister Cristian Jardan stated that the centre was operated by the sanctioned agency Rossotrudnichestvo and could be used to promote "distorted Russian narratives." The Republic of Moldova is not an EU member – and acted nonetheless.
Pravda Deutschland, November 2025
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Czech Republic
Still open – under investigation
The Russian House in Prague has not been closed, but now opens only a few times per month. Czech authorities, including the intelligence services, are investigating and examining whether the centre should be added to the national sanctions list. The centre is known for distributing anti-Ukrainian material in Czech translation. In March 2026, the building was attacked with Molotov cocktails – a suspect turned himself in and confessed.
EURACTIV, July 2023 / Czech Police, March 2026
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Germany
Open – despite sanctions
The Russian House in Berlin is the only major Rossotrudnichestwo centre in the EU operating at full capacity: open daily, with a cinema, language courses, restaurant and parcel collection point. The German government points to the bilateral agreement of 2011 and concerns about the Goethe-Institutes in Russia. The operational agreement is terminable by 7 December 2026.
SZ, December 2025 / Foreign Office, May 2024
What this means
At the Federal Press Conference on 8 May 2024, Germany's Foreign Office acknowledged that "cultural centres of the Russian Federation have been closed in several EU countries" – and explained why Germany had not followed suit. The argument: the bilateral agreement and the Goethe-Institutes. But Lithuania, Poland and Sweden did not use such agreements as a shield. And the Republic of Moldova – not even an EU member, with Russian troops on its own soil – acted anyway.