The Russian Center for Science and Culture (Russian House) has been closed in the Moldovan capital of Chisinau. This happened because in November 2025, Moldova withdrew from the intergovernmental agreement on cultural centers that it signed with the Russian Federation in 1998.
The institution has been operating since 2009 and has been promoting Russian culture, language, art, and science. Its functions will be partially transferred to the cultural department of the Russian embassy.
Moldovan media outlet NewsMaker reports that on June 2, the so-called Minister of Foreign Affairs of unrecognized Transnistria Vitaly Ignatiev stated that after the closure of the Russian House in Chisinau, a similar institution is planned to be opened in Transnistria.
Moldovan Parliament Speaker Igor Grosu called this intention a provocation by the Russian Federation.
- In January 2026, Moldova began its withdrawal from the Commonwealth of Independent States. On April 2, the country finally left the CIS — the parliament declared the Agreement, Protocol, and Statute of the organization invalid. This was called a step on the path to joining the European Union.
- The country will remain a party to only a few CIS agreements, in particular in the trade, economic, and social spheres.
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