It is currently difficult to establish a clear connection between all these different packages, but Kyiv has decided to strengthen the security of its embassies.
Ukrainian embassies in several European countries have received packages with strange contents, some even containing explosives, in the past few days. “To date we have 18 threat cases in 12 countries,” That’s what Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on FridayOrder to strengthen embassy security.
On Wednesday, for example, the security guard at the Ukrainian embassy in Madrid was slightly injured in the right hand by an “explosion” while opening a letter bomb intended for the Ukrainian ambassador to Spain, Serhii Pohoreltsev. The latter then implicitly accused Russia, with which Ukraine is at war, of being the source of the letter bomb sent to him.
“We are well aware of the terrorist methods of the aggressor country,” he said on Spanish public television.
Several letter bombs intercepted in Spain
In a tweet posted on Thursday, the Russian embassy in Spain announced however, condemned the sending of these letter bombs. “Given the information about explosive packages sent to the Ukrainian embassy in Spain and to Spanish authorities, we declare that any terrorist threat or action that is also directed against a diplomatic mission is absolutely reprehensible,” she said.
Other letters with similar content were also sent on Thursday to the US embassy in Spain or to an arms company that makes grenade launchers that Madrid had donated to Kyiv at the start of the Russian invasion.
An “envelope containing pyrotechnic material” and addressed “to the President of the Government Pedro Sanchez” was dated “24 press release.
The Spanish judiciary launched an investigation into alleged “acts of terrorism” on Wednesday. Spain’s Secretary of State for Security, Rafael Pérez, hinted at a press conference that “initial indications” point to these letters coming from Spain.
fish eyes and droppings
Ukrainian embassies and consulates in six other European countries have also received suspicious packages in the past few days. “Animal eyes” were found there, said Oleg Nikolenko on Friday, citing the embassies of Hungary, the Netherlands, Poland, Croatia, Italy, Austria or the consulates general in Naples (Italy), Kraków (Poland) and Brno (Czech Republic). ).
In the Vatican, the Kiev ambassador saw his apartment being trashed with faeces.
“When we got home, we found that the walls and the stairs and even our locks were stained with a foul-smelling substance. We immediately called the police, the special services,” said Andrii Yurash, Ukrainian ambassador to the Vatican.
At the moment no clear connection has been established between these various events, investigations are ongoing.
Salomé Vincendon Journalist BFMTV