Rossotrudnichestvo has agreed to\u00a0open 11 new \u201cRussian Houses\u201d abroad, agency head Igor Chaika announced.<\/p>\n
Eight of\u00a0the new houses will open in\u00a0African countries, and the network will expand into the CIS for the first time as\u00a0well, though Chaika did not specify which countries.<\/p>\n
Chaika said the \u201cRussian Houses\u201d will now be\u00a0judged by\u00a0concrete results: how well they promote the Russian language and Russian education, and how many cultural, youth, scientific, and humanitarian projects they carry out.<\/p>\n
The \u201cRussian Houses,\u201d run by\u00a0Rossotrudnichestvo, are meant to\u00a0promote Russian culture and function as\u00a0a\u00a0tool of\u00a0\u201csoft power.\u201d They operated in\u00a0many European countries before the full-scale invasion began, and many remain open today \u2014 a\u00a0\u201cRussian House\u201d has long operated in\u00a0Berlin, for instance.<\/p>\n
On\u00a0September 1, German authorities stated they held Russia responsible for a\u00a0sabotage attack at\u00a0Leipzig Airport and, as\u00a0a\u00a0retaliatory measure, would close the \u201cRussian House\u201d as\u00a0well as\u00a0Russia\u2019s consulate general in\u00a0Bonn. Russia responded by\u00a0announcing the closure of\u00a0the Goethe-Institut and the German consulate in\u00a0St. Petersburg.<\/p>\n
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