The Russian Foreign Ministry has claimed that an explosion that happened in Moscow’s consulate in the French city of Marseille was a terrorist attack.
“The explosions on the territory of the Russian Consulate General in Marseille have all the hallmarks of a terrorist attack,” TASS quoted Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova as saying.
“We demand (from France) exhaustive and prompt measures to investigate, as well as steps to strengthen the security of Russian foreign missions.”
An explosion was heard near the consulate early Monday morning, French media reported.
What happened in the Russian consulate?
French broadcaster BFM Marseille said that some 30 firemen were at the scene, but French police could not confirm the reports.
Russian Consul General in Marseille, Stanislav Oranskiy, confirmed to La Marseillaise that the explosion happened from inside the embassy.
BFM Marseille reported that a suspect, who is still at large, threw two explosives into the garden of the building, causing no damage or injuries. Only one of the devices, which were reportedly made from plastic bottles, exploded.
Additionally, a stolen car was found near the consulate.
French police initially believed the explosives were Molotov cocktails, but they later peddled back and said that “the notion of a Molotov cocktail does not seem to be the right one at this stage.”
There were no casualties, and all staff and the Russian consul were unharmed, the source added.
This comes as the EU announced its sixteenth package of sanctions against Moscow and the commemorations marking three years since the beginning of the Ukraine-Russia War.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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