Moldovan Parliament Takes Up Treaty Denunciation to Close Russian House in Chișinău

Overview

• Moldova's government on November 5 approved denouncing the 2021 treaty on cultural centers to enable the closure of the Russian Center of Science and Culture in Chișinău.
• Deputies from the ruling Party of Action and Solidarity brought the measure to parliament on November 13 for consideration.
• Russian community leaders, including Ludmila Lashchenova and Alexey Petrovich, joined protests and personally urged deputies to halt the closure.
• Opposition leader Igor Dodon sought to remove the item from the agenda, but the PAS majority did not support the motion.
• Rossotrudnichestvo and Russia's embassy criticized the plan, the agency said it had received no formal notification, and treaty terms indicate a straightforward exit would fall after July 4, 2026 without other legal steps.