Moldovan parliament speaker describes Russia’s intention to move Russian Center of Culture to Tiraspol as political provocation

Parliament Speaker Igor Grosu describes Russia’s intention to relocate the Russian Center of Culture to Tiraspol as a new provocation by the Russian Federation. He said that this move was part of a string of measures through which Moscow is attempting to influence the situation in Moldova.

“As for the relocation of the Russian Center of Culture to Tiraspol, it is obvious that we are dealing with a provocation on behalf of the Russian Federation,” Grosu said. He noted that this fell into the same category as other recent actions by Moscow, including the visit of an unaccredited ambassador to the Autonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia and the decree on granting Russian citizenship through a simplified procedure.

The parliament speaker believes that these initiatives are driven by Russia’s internal electoral interests and are linked to the campaign for the elections, scheduled to take place this autumn.

“I don’t think these actions will achieve their goal. I see all of them as part of the preparations for the electoral campaign and for the so‑called elections in Russia. If we simplify things, Russia cannot provide anything concrete to its supporters, apart from symbolic gestures. These are just image‑building actions, without any real substance,” Igor Grosu said.

The speaker also addressed the issue of energy relations between Moldova and the Russian Federation, recalling that there is still a contract between Moldovagaz and Gazprom, but that it has been violated by the Russian side.

“It was not Moldova that limited or halted gas deliveries. These decisions were taken by the Russian Federation. Therefore, the questions must be addressed to the Russian side,” Grosu said.

At the same time, the official criticized politicians who continue to promote or justify the Kremlin’s actions, saying that they show obedience toward “a totalitarian and criminal regime that commits atrocities in Ukraine every day.”

In his opinion, the situation shows that Russian propaganda continues to exert influence in the European political space.

“This situation shows once again that Russian propaganda has long been present in certain segments of the European political spectrum. Unfortunately, this influence has come to be represented even in the European Parliament and in the Parliament of Romania,” the parliament speaker concluded.

The Russian Center of Science and Culture from Chisinau is to be closed on July 4, 2026, after 17 years of activity, in the context of the denunciation of the Agreement on cultural centers signed between Moldova and the Russian Federation. According to Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration Valeriu Chiveri, relocating the institution to Tiraspol would be an action that circumvents international law, in the absence of a new bilateral agreement between the two states.

The Agreement on cultural centers was signed in 1998 and entered into force in 2001. On its basis, Russia opened the Center of Science and Culture in Chisinau in 2009. The Moldovan authorities did not create a similar center in the Russian Federation, although the document stipulated the principle of reciprocity.