Representatives of 15 creative groups based at the Russian Cultural Center have published a joint appeal arguing that city officials have not made time to meet with the groups or to visit and assess the situation on site.

Members of the umbrella organization, the Union of Russian Educational and Charitable Associations in Estonia, are calling on city leaders not to rush their decision.

Instead, the collective wants the city to understand the situation and meet with the people who have contributed to the development of Estonia's cultural landscape over the past 30 years.

"We, the leaders of creative groups that have worked for years in the Russian Cultural Center building, express our deep concern over the Tallinn city government's plans to reorganize the center's operations and effectively shut it down," the authors of the appeal write.

The group leaders believe the city is planning to dismantle a cultural environment they have worked hard to build over three decades. They claim that information about the future plans has reached them only through media outlets.

"The current Tallinn city administration has not found time to meet with representatives of our groups or share its plans. Materials concerning the center's future indicate that the goal of merging the center with Kultuurikatel is to generate revenue by renting out space. Unlike us, however, Kultuurikatel does not produce independent cultural content," the signatories say.

The creative groups are calling on the city government and city council to thoroughly investigate the issue before making any decisions, and not to allow the destruction of this historic cultural center along with the communities it supports.

The proposed merger of the cultural institutions will be discussed at the city council's emergency session on Monday.

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