Explosion at Russian consulate in France’s Marseille; Moscow says “blast exhibits all signs of terrorist attack”

An explosion took place at the Russian consulate in France’s Marseille, which the Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said resembles a terrorist attack. Around 30 firefighters arrived at the site of the blast.

However, no casualties have been reported in the incident, TASS reported citing France’s BFMTV. Unidentified individuals must have thrown two Molotov cocktails into the consulate’s garden, TASS reported, citing a reporter for the Valeurs Actuelles magazine. A stolen car was found near the blast site.

Zakharova said Russia demands an immediate and thorough investigation into the incident and measures to improve the security of Russia’s foreign facilities.

“The blasts at the Russian consulate general in Marseille exhibit all the signs of a terrorist attack. We demand that the host country take immediate, thorough action to investigate the incident, as well as measures to improve the security of Russia’s foreign facilities,” Maria Zakharova said.

On February 19, Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) warned that the Ukrainian authorities were considering the possibility of conducting terrorist attacks on Russian diplomatic facilities in Europe, especially in Germany, the Baltic, and Scandinavian countries, as per the report.

According to the SVR, the Ukrainians could also attack Slovakia or Hungary as such a choice offers an “additional advantage,” enabling them to discredit members of the European Union with a special position on the Ukraine conflict.