The Foreign Ministry explained the blocking of accounts of the Goethe Institute

Zakharova said that the accounts of the Goethe Institute in RUSSIA were blocked in response to Germany blocking the accounts of the Russian House in Berlin.She linked the possible unfreezing of accounts with similar actions by the German authorities.

Bank accounts of the German Institute. Goethe in Russia could only be unblocked if the bank accounts of the Russian House of Science and Art (RDNK) in Berlin are completely unfrozen, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement.

According to her, the accounts of the Goethe Institute were blocked in response to the blocking of RDNK bank accounts by Germany in December 2022. Zakharova clarified that in this way the German authorities violated the agreements between Moscow and Berlin on the activities of cultural and information centers.

“Under the current conditions, the bank accounts of the Goethe Institute in Russia could be unblocked only after the complete and unconditional unfreezing of the bank accounts of the RDNK,” the diplomat concluded.

The Goethe Institute announced the blocking of accounts in Russia on March 31. The school also canceled language exams for the coming dates. Institute certificates gave Russians the opportunity to obtain a work or study visa. The German Foreign Ministry noted that the country's government is in contact with the Russian branch of the Goethe Institute after blocking its account.

At the end of January, Zakharova warned that the Russian side would be forced to take retaliatory measures if Germany did not stop its actions to limit the activities of the RDNK in Berlin. “The German side must understand that if the situation around the Russian House of Science and Art in Berlin does not normalize, then retaliatory measures against the branches of the Goethe Institute will not be long in coming,” the diplomat said.

In addition to Germany, the accounts of the Russian House were also frozen in Finland in early April, the Finnish Talouselämä wrote. According to the publication, the Debt Collection Authority made a decision on March 10. “The assets of the Center were frozen by the Nordea bank, in which the Russian Center for Science and Culture has an account. The reason for the freeze is the EU sanctions imposed in connection with the Russian (special military operation) in Ukraine.

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The Russian House of Science and Culture in Berlin was opened in 1984; it is the largest of the 96 foreign representative offices of Rossotrudnichestvo. The work of the center is aimed at the diversified development of cultural, humanitarian, scientific and educational ties between Russia and Germany, at supporting Russians living in Germany, at popularizing Russian culture and language.