The Russian Cultural Center (russian: Российский центр науки и культуры в Вашингтоне) is a museum and building in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, supporting

Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

culture in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

and preserving its causes and beliefs. It calls itself, "the official home of Russian culture in the United States," and hosts public events featuring visiting Russian musicians and artists to foster better relations and understanding between the U.S. and Russia. The center is operated by

Rossotrudnichestvo The Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States Affairs, Compatriots Living Abroad, and International Humanitarian Cooperation (russian: Федеральное агентство по делам Содружества Независ� ...

, an autonomous agency of the

Russian Foreign Ministry The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation (MFA Russia; russian: Министерство иностранных дел Российской Федерации, МИД РФ) is the central government institution charged with lea ...

. The building was a private residence before it was purchased by the

Soviet government The Government of the Soviet Union ( rus, Прави́тельство СССР, p=prɐˈvʲitʲɪlʲstvə ɛs ɛs ɛs ˈɛr, r=Pravítelstvo SSSR, lang=no), formally the All-Union Government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, commonly ab ...

in 1957. It was initially used as a school for the children of embassy staff, then housed the Soviet consulate in the 1970s and 1980s. In 1998, the building was designated as the Russian Cultural Center by a bilateral agreement. The center opened on December 10, 1999, with an announcement by

Valentina Tereshkova Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova ( rus, Валентина Владимировна Терешкова, links=no, p=vɐlʲɪnʲˈtʲinə vlɐˈdʲimʲɪrəvnə tʲɪrʲɪʂˈkovə, a=Valentina Tereshkova.ogg; born 6 March 1937) is an engine ...

, the first woman in space. Since at least 2001, the center has organized all-expenses-paid cultural exchange trips to Russia for young Americans. The trips included lodging at luxury hotels and meetings with Russian officials.

Controversies

In October 2013, the center's director, Yury Zaitsev (russian: Юрий Зайцев), was investigated by the

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and its principal Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement age ...

for allegedly using the center's cultural exchange program to recruit young Americans as Russian spies. The FBI interviewed Americans sent by Zaitsev and warned them they were being targeted for recruitment. Zaitsev publicly denied the allegations before quietly leaving the country. Zaitsev's replacement, Oleg Zhiganov (russian: Олег Жиганов), was suspected of being a Russian spy and expelled from the U.S. as part of the expulsions of Russian diplomats in March 2018 in retaliation for the

poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal On 4 March 2018, Sergei Skripal, a former Russian military officer and double agent for the British intelligence agencies, and his daughter, Yulia Skripal, were poisoned in the city of Salisbury, England. According to UK sources and the Organis ...

Salisbury, England Salisbury ( ) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately from Southampton and from Bath. Salisbury is in the southeast of Wil ...

References

External links

Official website
{{Russia–United States relations 1999 establishments in Washington, D.C. Ethnic museums in Washington, D.C. Russia–United States relations Russian-American culture in Washington, D.C. Russian-American history