Bottles were thrown at the Russian consulate general in France's second largest city - Marseille today, which exploded without injuring anyone or causing damage, Agence France-Presse reported, quoted by BTA.
The attack, called by Moscow a "terrorist act", was carried out on the third anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
According to police, "three half-liter plastic soda bottles were thrown this morning in the gardens of the consulate. Two of them exploded, causing explosions.
“The analysis of the residues of the products contained in these bottles is ongoing“, the police said.
Initially, it was reported that “three improvised explosive devices“ were thrown around 8:00 a.m. (9:00 a.m. Bulgarian time) in front of the consulate, with two of them exploding.
This morning, the perimeter around the consulate was cordoned off by police, AFP journalists at the scene reported.
The Marseille prosecutor's office said that “an investigation has been launched at the crime scene for damage caused by explosives or incendiary substances“. There were no injuries or damage in the incident, the prosecutor's office said.
"The explosions that occurred on the territory of the Russian Consulate General in Marseille show all the signs of a terrorist attack", the Russian Foreign Ministry immediately responded. "We urge the host country to quickly take comprehensive investigative measures, as well as measures to strengthen the security of the Foreign Ministry", said the ministry's spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, quoted by the Russian news agency RIA Novosti.
For its part, the Russian embassy in France wrote on “Telegram“ that "it had indeed earlier appealed to the French authorities with a request to increase the level of security of all Russian institutions in France, given the possible provocations in recent days".
The embassy recalled that yesterday - on the eve of the third anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine - a "small anti-Russian demonstration" was held near the consulate in Marseille, as well as in several other French cities.
"France condemns any attack on the security of diplomatic missions", the French Foreign Ministry said in a statement, recalling that "the inviolability, protection and integrity of diplomatic and consular establishments, as well as their personnel, are fundamental principles of international law".