Berlin’s ‘Russian House’ stayed open despite Russia’s war in Ukraine and EU sanctions, shielded by a reciprocal deal over Moscow’s Goethe-Institut. Germany’s sabotage accusation was the final straw.

In early September, Germany’s Foreign Ministry announced the closure of the Russian House in Berlin, Russia’s largest cultural center abroad. The center had operated in the heart of the German capital for more than 40 years. It remained open after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, even as similar institutions across Europe shut down. What finally brought it to an end was a drone attack on Leipzig Airport that German authorities described as Russian sabotage. Meduza tells the center’s story.