European Centre for Counterterrorism and Intelligence Studies, Germany & Netherlands – ECCI
Authorities say the cultural institution is used as a cover by Russian intelligence services
Euractiv ـ Germany’s digital ministry has moved key offices next to Berlin’s Russian House, an institution that European authorities suspect has been used as cover for Russian intelligence activity.
The relocation, which started last month, has triggered security concerns inside the ministry, Euractiv has learned, with some sensitive units remaining in Bonn rather than relocating to Berlin.
The Russian House of Science and Culture stands in central Berlin near the Russian embassy and has operated in the capital since 1984, officially to promote cultural exchange.
It is run by Rossotrudnichestvo, Russia’s state agency for relations with the post-Soviet region and Russians abroad, which has been on the EU sanctions list since July 2022.
This month, French authorities assessed that the House is “used as a cover by Russian intelligence services”, cited in an expulsion order against Xenia Fedorova, the former head of the French office of Russian state-backed propaganda outlet RT.
According to France’s interior ministry, Fedorova intended to become director of the Russian House in Berlin.
Security risks
While it is not known who exactly works across the almost 30,000 square metres of the site, a security official told Euractiv that the digital ministry held extensive discussions over security concerns surrounding its new premises.
Sensitive units, including telecoms security, remain in Bonn, while digital economy and infrastructure teams have moved to Berlin.
CDU security expert Roderich Kiesewetter criticised what he saw as a lack of risk awareness in placing digital ministry offices directly next to the Russian House.
“We know that around 100 people are present there, whose exact tasks are unknown,” Kiesewetter told Euractiv. “But we also know that energy consumption is significantly higher than what one would expect from a cultural institution.”
He said there was reason to suspect that technical equipment used for telecommunications surveillance or IMSI catchers could be operated at the site.
The Russian House should finally be closed, Kiesewetter, who specialises in security and intelligence matters, argued.
“The agreement governing the Russian House can be terminated every five years with six months’ notice. It should therefore be terminated by 6 December this year,” he said.
Germany’s foreign ministry, by contrast, has consistently argued that Moscow could respond by closing the Goethe-Institutes in Russia.
“Their activities are already so severely restricted that we can do without them,” Kiesewetter added.
The ministry itself acknowledged in 2023 that “the ability to operate, particularly for the Goethe-Institut, was already massively in question” and that only a minimal presence for cultural mediators could be maintained.
The Russian House did not respond to a request for comment.
European Centre for Counterterrorism and Intelligence Studies, Germany & Netherlands – ECCI
