Ukraine urges governments worldwide to shut down Russia's "Russian House" cultural centers
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha announced on September 19 an official Ukrainian appeal to governments around the world to recognize the network of Russian cultural centers known as "Russian House" (Russky Dom) as a national-security threat and to restrict or fully close them. He welcomed Germany's closure of the "Russian House" in Berlin as a precedent, and said such centers continue to operate in at least seven European countries, with even broader activity in Africa, Central and East Asia, the Asia-Pacific region and South America.
Key points
- Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha announced the appeal on September 19 via X.
- Sybiha described the "Russian House" centers, operated by Rossotrudnichestvo, as instruments of disinformation, destabilization and espionage.
- Sybiha said such centers continue to operate in at least seven European countries despite recent closures.
- The network's activity is even larger in Africa, Central and East Asia, the Asia-Pacific region and South America, according to Sybiha.
- Sybiha noted that in some states the "Russian House" is integrated into Russia's diplomatic infrastructure.
- Sybiha welcomed the closure of the "Russian House" in Berlin, announced by Germany on September 1 alongside other measures following a hybrid attack at Leipzig airport.
- Ukraine's diplomatic team provided governments with arguments for restricting the centers' activities and shutting them down completely.
Why it matters
The appeal formalizes Ukraine's push for a coordinated global response to Russian state-linked cultural and diplomatic infrastructure abroad, framing the centers not as benign cultural diplomacy but as tools of disinformation and espionage. By aligning the call with Germany's high-profile closure of the Berlin center, Kyiv is seeking to turn a bilateral German decision into a wider European and international precedent.
What happened
On September 19, 2026, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha announced via the X social network that Ukraine had officially appealed to governments worldwide to recognize the network of Russian cultural centers known as "Russian House" (Russky Dom / Russkiy Dom) as a threat to national security and to restrict their activities or close them entirely. Sybiha characterized the centers — international representatives of Rossotrudnichestvo — as instruments of disinformation, destabilization and espionage, and said Russia is conducting a global "battle for minds" through such channels. He noted that despite a wave of closures, the centers continue to operate in at least seven European countries, and that the network's footprint is even larger in Africa, Central and East Asia, the Asia-Pacific region and South America. In some states, the "Russian House" is integrated into Russia's diplomatic infrastructure, Sybiha added. Ukraine's diplomatic team provided governments with arguments for restricting the centers' activities and closing them down completely. Sybiha also welcomed the recent closure of the "Russian House" in Berlin, announced by Germany on September 1 alongside other measures taken after Berlin accused Russia of a hybrid attack at Leipzig airport in early August. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul summoned the Russian ambassador in connection with the incident, as did many other European capitals. Moscow responded by threatening a "dignified response," summoning the German chargé d'affaires, ordering the closure of the German Consulate General in St. Petersburg by September 18, and announcing the closure in Russia of all three branches of the German Goethe-Institut.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
All supplied sources are Ukrainian and uniformly frame Sybiha's appeal as a justified diplomatic push against Russian propaganda and espionage infrastructure. They present Germany's closure of the Berlin "Russian House" as a welcome precedent and align with Kyiv's characterization of the centers as instruments of disinformation, destabilization and espionage rather than legitimate cultural diplomacy.
Where reporting differs
Sources differ on the precise date and framing of recent events. Some report the closure of the "Russian House" in Berlin as occurring on September 18, others describe it as the day before Sybiha's September 19 post, and one source frames the Leipzig airport drone incident as occurring on August 4, 2026 while others place it in early August more generally.
Background
"Russian House" centers are the international representatives of Rossotrudnichestvo, a Russian state agency the EU has sanctioned since 2022 as a vehicle for Kremlin "soft power" and the promotion of the "Russian world" concept.