An explosion on the territory of the Russian Consulate General in Marseille. What is known

On Monday, February 24, there was an explosion on the territory of the Russian Consulate General in Marseille. Three explosive devices were thrown into the building, two of which went off. Read more about what happened in the material "Izvestia".

The explosion at the Russian Consulate General in Marseille - what happened

According to the TV channel BFM, at about 07:30 am (09:30 Moscow time), several explosive devices were thrown into the building of the Russian Consulate General in Marseille. About 30 firefighters and police officers arrived at the scene, and a mine-clearing operation was launched.

As specified in the Russian diplomatic mission, three explosive devices fell on the territory of the Consulate General, two of which exploded. As a result of the incident, none of the staff was not injured, material damage was also avoided.

"We are in contact with local law enforcement agencies in order to find out the identities of the attackers and other necessary actions," - said in the press service of the Russian Embassy in France.

The diplomatic mission noted that Russia had previously asked the French authorities to strengthen the security of its foreign institutions in connection with possible provocations, but the host country still allowed the attack on the Consulate General. The embassy added that an anti-Russian demonstration was held in Marseille on the eve of the incident.

The Marseille prosecutor's office has opened a case on the fact of causing damage with the use of explosives or incendiary substances.

Explosion near the Russian Consulate General in Marseille - reaction of officials

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that the explosion in Marseille has all the signs of a terrorist attack.

"What happened on the territory of the Russian consulate general in Marseille has all the signs of a terrorist act, we demanded from France an immediate comprehensive investigation and, of course, measures to strengthen security," the diplomat told Izvestia.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a briefing that Moscow was taking all necessary measures to draw Paris' attention to the strengthening of security measures against Russian missions.

"Of course, all necessary measures are being taken by the diplomatic department to draw the attention of the host country to the need to strengthen all security measures. In general, everything has already been said by our colleagues on the part of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs," he said.

Rodion Miroshnik, the Russian Foreign Ministry's ambassador-at-large for Kiev regime crimes, commenting on the explosion near the Russian Consulate General in Marseille, said in his Telegram channel that the "hostile rhetoric of the French leadership" contributes to terrorist attacks in the country.

"The assessment of what happened will depend on how actively Paris will take to investigate what happened and ensure the safety of our diplomats," he added.