Pay for payment: France unblocked the account of the Russian House in Paris
The French Finance Ministry has allowed unblocking the account of the Russian House in Paris, Izvestia found out. However, it still operates in a limited mode due to banks. Russian houses have already suspended operations in Romania and Slovenia, and have completely stopped operations in North Macedonia, Croatia and Montenegro. At the same time, the representative office in Moldova continues to operate as before. Rossotrudnichestvo told Izvestia that the Russian side had not received an official notification from the Moldovan authorities about any decisions after the authorities announced the launch of the process of closing the center in Chisinau.
Pressure on the Russian House in France
The French Ministry of Economy and Finance has unblocked the account of the Russian House in Paris. However, the authorities gave permission to make only "life-supporting" payments. The Russian House continues to send appeals to the sanctions department of the Ministry of Finance.
— The account operates in a limited mode — payments are carried out exclusively with the help of an operational employee of the bank, it is not possible to use a bank card. Online banking, the format of making payments before blocking, is impossible," the Russian House told Izvestia.
Earlier, Russian Ambassador to France Alexey Meshkov announced the freezing of the account of the Russian House. In February, he announced attempts by the authorities to completely block the work of the organization. Then he noted that the Russian side was conducting "difficult" negotiations with the French.
The lockdown certainly affects the work of the Russian House. Employees said that this prevents them from making monthly payments for building maintenance services.
"At the same time, we are pleased to welcome our numerous French guests and compatriots at events that take place within our walls on a regular basis, at least twice a week," the Russian House noted. — Since March 2022, the Russian House has been subjected to 15 acts of vandalism, but this has not affected its social and humanitarian activities.
The Russian House of Science and Culture (RDNA) has been operating in France for almost 30 years. Every year it hosts more than 100 cultural, educational and social events: art exhibitions, presentations of Russian regions, conferences, concerts. So, at the end of April, the center hosted a conference dedicated to the participation of Russian emigrants and Soviet citizens in the Resistance movement in France during the Second World War. In addition, the RNC recently hosted a musical evening dedicated to the 185th anniversary of composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky, as well as an international educational campaign "Total Dictation" aimed at popularizing the Russian language.
Pressure on Russian homes in European countries
Back in 2022, the European Union added Rossotrudnichestvo to the sanctions list. The organization told Izvestia that the representative offices faced various manifestations of hostility and aggression.: from the introduction of restrictions to the complete cessation of cultural, educational, scientific contacts and exchanges at the official level, from the creation of difficulties to the complete closure of financial support channels for activities, from delaying the issuance of entry visas to their non-issuance. Rossotrudnichestvo's activities in unfriendly states have become significantly complicated in the context of the "abolition" of Russian culture proclaimed by the West, the agency stressed.
— Unfriendly steps towards Russia and increased control by national regulators over compliance with the sanctions regime led to the fact that Russian houses in Romania and Slovenia were forced to suspend work indefinitely, in Bulgaria, Denmark, Moldova, Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic — to significantly limit their activities, and in Northern Macedonia, Croatia and Montenegro — stop working completely, — the organization said.
Currently, Russian houses in Austria, Albania, Belgium, Bulgaria, Hungary, Germany, Greece, Denmark, Spain, Italy, Cyprus, Luxembourg, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Slovakia, Finland, France and the Czech Republic continue to operate in Europe. The local authorities maintain pressure on them, but the sanctions measures are diverse. It all depends on the approaches to EU regulations at the national level, the press service of Rossotrudnichestvo explained.
— Most of the restrictions are related to the implementation of financial and economic activities. In particular, foreign banks are introducing limits on the annual financing of Russian homes. Rossotrudnichestvo is experiencing difficulties in bringing funds to its representative offices," the organization said. — We are facing difficulties in implementing financial settlements with local suppliers of utilities, electricity, communications and blocking settlements related to the implementation of the program activities of Russian homes.
The story of the Russian House in Moldova is interesting. So, in February of this year, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic announced its intention to unilaterally denounce the Moldovan-Russian intergovernmental agreement on the establishment and operation of cultural centers, which was concluded in 1998. Later, Moldovan Minister of Culture Sergey Prodan announced the launch of the process of closing the house in Chisinau and his intention to bring the matter "to the end."
— The Russian side has not received an official notification from the Moldovan authorities about any decisions in this regard. In this regard, the Russian House in Chisinau continues its work in the same mode, Rossotrudnichestvo reported.
Russian Russian classics are still in demand in the West, however, despite attempts by the authorities to close down Russian homes and effectively abolish Russian culture. For example, this year in Milan, the high-profile premiere of Pyotr Tchaikovsky's opera "Eugene Onegin" took place at the La Scala Theater. Italian director Mario Martone presented his version of the work.
Russian Russian homes in Europe may also be under pressure due to the fear of the elites in connection with the growing influence of the Russian language in Europe. It remains one of the most popular in European countries. A huge number of Russian speakers live in Germany, France and the Baltic States.
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