Primakov Says Berlin’s Russian House Will Stay Open Despite Closure Calls

Overview

• Two Bundestag deputies — Roderich Kiesewetter of the CDU and Robin Wagner of the Greens — urged an immediate shutdown, calling the center a political instrument waging an “information war.”
• Rossotrudnichestvo chief Evgeny Primakov rejected reports of a shutdown, saying the institution operates under a long-term intergovernmental agreement.
• Green MP Robin Wagner acknowledged possible retaliation against the Goethe-Institut in Moscow if Berlin closed the center, which he described as the lesser evil.
• Süddeutsche Zeitung reported the venue is managed by a Russian state body on the EU sanctions list since July 2022, yet cultural events continue there.
• The Russian House says it is a cultural institution acting within bilateral agreements, and a 2023 preliminary inquiry into its activities was dropped due to its leadership’s diplomatic status.