Pro Helvetia
Moscow

Pro Helvetia opened its liaison office in Russia in 2017 after a successful 4-year programme called “Swiss Made in Russia. Contemporary Cultural Exchanges 2013-2016″. It hosted around 1000 cultural events in some 70 cities accross Russia and helped to intensify contacts and promote an open dialogue between cultural professionals from the two countries. Pro Helvetia’s core mission is to build bridges and to facilitate access and dialogue between cultures.

From day one, Pro Helvetia has strongly condemned the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. As an immediate response to the war, Pro Helvetia decided to suspend support for all public activities in Russia. At the same time, it was decided to review the situation on a regular basis.

As part of Pro Helvetia Moscow’s reduced mandate, only direct exchanges between artists and cultural practitioners in the form of residencies or research projects were supported in 2022 and 2023. In view of the unchanged political situation with the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, the foundation established that it was no longer possible for the office in Moscow to fulfil its mandate of disseminating Swiss culture in Russia. Following a decision in principle in November 2023, the Board of Trustees decided at its meeting on 28 February 2024 to discontinue the office’s activities at the end of 2024.