Russian House Closed. Structure Accused of Propaganda Stops Work in Moldovan Capital
Officially, the center was engaged in culture and recruiting foreign students to Russian universities. The Moldovan authorities saw it as a propaganda tool.
The Russian Center for Science and Culture (“Russian House”) in the Moldovan capital, Chisinau, has stopped working since July 4. The Head of Rossotrudnichestvo, a state agency that owns a network of Russian Houses around the world, announced on their official website . From now on, a representative of the agency will work as part of the Russian Embassy in Moldova.
Through the embassy,Rossotrudnichestvo, as noted, will continue to select foreign students to study at Russian universities according to state quotas, and will also continue to hold events in the field of international humanitarian cooperation. “We are confident that Moldovan citizens will not lose interest in the Russian language, culture, education, and science,” the statement says.
Officially, the Russian House was engaged in organizing cultural events and recruiting foreign students to Russian universities. The institution operated on the basis of an intergovernmental agreement concluded back in 1998.
"A threat to state security"
On November 1, 2025, a new pro-European government headed by Prime Minister Alexandru Munteanu was sworn in in Chisinau. And on November 5, at its first meeting, the government approved the denunciation of the 27-year-old agreement with Russia that regulates the activities of Russian cultural centers.
That same month, the Moldovan parliament finally denounced the agreement. This happened after the parliamentary elections - at that time, the Moldovan authorities accused Russia of interfering in the electoral process.
The new pro-European authorities of Moldova accused the "Russian House" in Chisinau of subversive activities and creating a threat to state security.
Presenting a proposal to denounce the agreement with Russia at a parliamentary session, Moldovan Culture Minister Cristian Jardan said that the Russian center was being used as a tool to promote propaganda, not Russian culture.
"The Russian Cultural Center was not cultural at all, but a center under the cover of which activities aimed at undermining the sovereignty of the Republic of Moldova were carried out," Jardan said.
At the time, the Kremlin expressed regret over Chisinau's decision.\ The spokesman for the Russian President, Dmitry Peskov, said that the Moldovan authorities "continue to deny everything related to Russia." Criticism was also voiced by the pro-Russian opposition in Chisinau.
Will the Russian House move from Chisinau to Tiraspol
Meanwhile, the head of the Foreign Ministry of unrecognized Transnistria, Vitaly Ignatiev, said that after the closure of the Russian House in Chisinau, Tiraspol plans to create such a center in the region. According to him, "this decision will help counteract destructive attempts to limit Russia's presence."
In response, the Moldovan Reintegration Bureau stressed that Tiraspol representatives do not have the legal authority to make such decisions. Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration Valeriu Chiver noted that the opening of such a center without a corresponding bilateral agreement between Moldova and the Russian Federation would not contribute to cooperation between the countries.
In addition, one of the initiators of the closure of the Russian House, Moldovan Minister of Culture Cristian Jardan, commenting on the closure of the center, recalled that he was involved in recruiting young people to study in Russia.
" Any young Moldovan citizen who wants to go there faces a huge risk: instead of studying, they can be taken to the Russian army and sent to the front in Ukraine," Jardan added.
Azerbaijani example
At the end of 2025, the Russian House was closed in the capital of Azerbaijan, Baku.
The main claim of the Azerbaijani side was the lack of legal registration in the organization. The representative of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, Ayhan Hajizadeh, noted that the Russian House had been operating for years with serious violations of local legislation, without having the status of a legal entity.
Local media reported allegations of espionage and attempts by external interference in the country's internal affairs under the guise of humanitarian projects.
Sanctioned network
In general, there are more than 100 official "Russian Houses" operating in the world, which operate under the auspices of the Russian agency "Rossotrudnichestvo".
After the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation, the European Union imposed sanctions against "Rossotrudnichestvo" in the summer of 2022.
However, these so-called "cultural centers" are still operating in EU countries. For example, the Russian House in Vienna (Russisches Haus / Русский дом) is located at Brahmsplatz 8, 1040 Vienna, near the city center, maintain an active social media presence.
## Russian interest in Africa
In recent years, Russia has been actively expanding its network at the expense of African countries - there are now 24 centers there.
Officially, they are engaged in the study of the Russian language and culture.
But Experts note that Russia is systematically increasing its presence in Africa, using "soft power" as a tool of geopolitical influence.
After the opening of the Russian House in April 2026 in the Republic of Togo, the Ukrainian Center for Countering Disinformation stated that the Russians were using the network of centers to spread disinformation about the war in Ukraine, discredit Western countries, and recruit locals into the Russian army under the guise of "employment" or "training."