Russian House in Berlin Set to Close, but Operations May Continue Until Mid-2027

The Russian House in Berlin is heading for closure, but the cultural center may continue operating until the middle of 2027 because of the agreement governing its work.

The German government wants to shut the state-run center in Friedrichstraße after an attempted drone explosives attack at Leipzig/Halle airport in early August. German authorities attribute the incident to Russian intelligence services. Moscow rejects the accusation and has announced the closure of three German Goethe-Institutes in Russia.

The cultural centers operate under a 2011 German-Russian agreement, which allows termination in July 2027. “We have now given this notice,” a spokesman for Germany’s Foreign Office said. The Russian House is operated by Rossotrudnichestvo, Russia’s state agency for cultural cooperation. The European Union placed the agency on its sanctions list in 2022 because of the war in Ukraine.

The German government intends to limit the center’s activities before the agreement expires. Employees sent from Russia will be asked to leave, as will staff at Russia’s consulate in Bonn, which must close by Sept. 18. The Russian Embassy confirmed that the requests had been made.

The Russian House ended its summer break in early September and was still advertising films, exhibitions and new language courses on its website. Even after the cultural center closes, the building will remain Russian state property. A separate bilateral agreement signed in 2013 grants Russia ownership for 99 years.

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We have now given this notice.