Moldovan Government denounces Agreement with Russian Federation on activity of cultural centers

5 November 2025, Chișinău – The Cabinet of Ministers approved a draft on denunciation of the Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Moldova and the Government of the Russian Federation on establishment and operation of cultural centers.

The document, signed in 1998, established the creation of centers on the territories of both states to promote cultural and scientific exchanges. However, at present, the Republic of Moldova does not have a Cultural Center on Russian territory.

Minister of Culture Cristian Jardan said during the government meeting that “Russian Cultural Center was by no means cultural; it was a center under whose cover activities undermining the sovereignty of the Republic of Moldova were carried out.”

The minister noted that after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and in the context of repeated destabilization attempts and continuous informational attacks by Moscow in the Republic of Moldova, the Agreement can be used as a tool for promoting distorted narratives by the Russian Federation, posing a risk to the informational security of the Republic of Moldova.  

Russian Cultural Center was set up in 2009, under the Agreement on establishment and operation of cultural centers, with the direct administration of the Russian Embassy. The Center is funded by the Russian Agency Rossotrudnichestvo, an institution under the direct subordination of the Russian presidency, introduced in international sanctions, and qualified by the EU as “the main state agency projecting Kremlin's soft power and its hybrid influence, including the promotion of the so-called “Russkiy Mir” concept. 

In February 2025, the procedure for denouncing the Agreement was initiated upon the request of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The draft law is to be submitted to Parliament for examination.