Moldova closes Russian cultural center after drone violations
The Russian Cultural Center in Chișinău is set to cease its operations. The announcement was made by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) after urgently summoning the Russian Federation's ambassador to Chișinău, Oleg Ozerov.
The Russian diplomat was summoned to the MFA regarding recent violations of Moldova's airspace by several Russian drones, two of which exploded on Moldovan territory. The Ministry presented the Russian ambassador with fragments of the fallen drones as concrete evidence of these violations of airspace.
The Moldovan side issued a strong protest, emphasizing that such incidents seriously threaten national security and the safety of Moldovan citizens. Authorities in Chișinău stated that such actions violate national sovereignty and represent an unfriendly act by the Russian Federation.
On the other hand, Oleg Ozerov told the press that the Russian Federation does not intend to escalate tensions with Moldova. Furthermore, the Russian side will not comment on the drone incident for now, as, according to the diplomat, there is no clear evidence regarding their origin, and a separate investigation is needed.
Diplomatic tensions between Moldova and the Russian Federation have intensified after several Russian drones crossed the country’s airspace on the night of February 12-13, during an attack on the port of Reni, Ukraine.
Moldova is not the only country where the Russian Cultural Center has been closed. In March 2022, the government of Slovenia also annulled an agreement with Russia regarding scientific and cultural centers following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. As a result, the Russian Scientific and Cultural Center in Ljubljana was closed, according to culture.si.
In February 2023, the activity of the Russian Center for Culture and Science in Bucharest was also suspended. According to a statement from the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, "The center had completely deviated from its original goals of fostering cultural ties and had unfortunately become an instrument of propaganda, disinformation, and justification for Russia's war crimes in Ukraine."
In October 2024, Finnish authorities began seizing properties owned by the Russian state after a court in The Hague ordered Moscow to compensate the Ukrainian national gas supplier for assets lost during the annexation of Crimea, according to themoscowtimes.com.
Additionally, authorities in Azerbaijan closed a Russian cultural center in Baku in early February 2024, amid deteriorating relations with Moscow following accusations that Russian air defense systems shot down an Azerbaijani aircraft, killing 38 people, as reported by AFP.
Other countries where Russian Cultural Centers have been closed include the Czech Republic and Germany.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
