France, Sept. 3 -- Moscow said on Thursday it would close branches of Germany's Goethe Institute after Berlin moved to shut its Russian House, one of a string of centres that officially promote Russian culture and language and operate in dozens of countries.

Meanwhile, a similar centre remains open in Paris despite EU sanctions against the Russian state agency that runs it.

Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russian Houses have faced growing scrutiny over accusations that they promote Kremlin ideology and, in some cases, provide cover for intelligence activities.

Germany announced on Tuesday that it would terminate the agreement governing the Russian House of Science and Culture in Berlin. The decision was ...