71 EU lawmakers demand closure of Russian Houses in 15 member states

A cross-party coalition of 71 Members of the European Parliament from various political groups and member states has sent a formal letter to European Union leadership, demanding the activation of legal mechanisms to shut down Russian Houses operating across 15 member countries.

Spearheaded by Lithuanian lawmaker Rasa Juknevičienė, the appeal was addressed to European Council President António Costa, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas.

Alongside Juknevičienė, six fellow Lithuanian MEPs signed the letter: Dainius Žalimas, Petras Auštrevičius, Liudas Mažylis, Virginijus Sinkevičius, Aurelijus Veryga, and Paulius Saudargas.

The letter explicitly defines the centres as focal points for espionage, with Juknevičienė stating: “These are Russia’s espionage hubs in Europe; they work against the EU and coordinate foreign information manipulation and interference operations.”

Jurisdiction debate between Commission and Parliament

In their letter, the lawmakers pointed out that Rossotrudnichestvo, the parent organisation overseeing the Russian Houses, is clearly identified under EU sanctions decisions.

The text alleges that this body functions as the primary state agency propagating Kremlin soft power and hybrid influence, disseminating the “Russian World” (Russkiy Mir) doctrine, funding networks of agents of influence, and conducting historical revisionism.

Recalling that the European Commission views the closure of such centres as falling within the jurisdiction of member states, the lawmakers noted that national competency boundaries cannot serve as an excuse for inaction at the EU level.

The MEPs demanded that the European Commission, the European External Action Service, and member states formulate a coordinated European approach, identifying legal measures to terminate the activities of these structures at both EU and national levels.

Brussels centre continues operations

Russian Houses continue to operate in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, the Republic of Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Slovakia, and Spain.

In September, Germany decided to close the Russian House in Berlin and Russia’s Consulate General in Bonn, citing hybrid attacks, espionage suspicions, and an uncrewed aerial vehicle incident recorded on 4 August at Leipzig/Halle Airport that is known to have been a false-flag operation.

Moscow rejected the allegations, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced in retaliation that Goethe-Institut branches in Russia would be closed.

Despite the shutdown of the Berlin facility, the Russian House in Brussels, which hosts EU institutions and has operated for over 30 years, remains open.

Organising language courses, hosting Second World War commemorations, and disseminating Russian propaganda, the Brussels centre most recently published a congratulatory greeting marking Russian President Vladimir Putin’s birthday.

Russian Houses also shared statements from Rossotrudnichestvo director Igor Chaika, in which he compared those demanding the closure of these centres to the character Sharikov from Mikhail Bulgakov’s novel and targeted the Kyiv administration.

Centres to open in new countries

Rossotrudnichestvo head Yevgeny Primakov previously stated that following the military operation in Ukraine, activities at centres in Slovenia, Slovakia, Croatia, North Macedonia, Montenegro, and Romania had ceased.

Conversely, Rossotrudnichestvo officials pledged to open a new Russian House in Germany and reported that the agency has signed agreements for 11 new centres abroad.

Under the announced plans, eight new representative offices will be launched in African countries, two in Armenia, and one in Thailand.