The Russian House is centrally located on Friedrichstrasse in the heart of the German capital. As a throwback to a bygone era of friendly German-Russian relations, it is the subject of fierce disagreements and has long been a bone of contention in Berlin. The massive seven-story building covering an area of almost 30,000 square meters was opened in 1984.

At that time, back in the days of the East German state, its role was to celebrate friendship with the Soviet Union through concerts, film screenings, and book readings. It even had its own small bookstore.

Today's administrators still maintain that it is a place to celebrate the friendship between the two countries: "The Russian House is Russia's cultural embassy in the heart of Berlin," according to the Russian Embassy's website.

But quite a few critics say that the events that take place there, which the Russian House estimates attract 200,000 visitors a year, mainly serve as propaganda for Vladimir Putin's Russia.

Berlin media outlets have repeatedly reported on events at the in-house cinema where, for example, a Holocaust film was shown........

© Deutsche Welle