Attempts to set fire to Russian embassies recorded by Moscow: Official

ISTANBUL

Russia on Monday said that it has been recording attempts being made to set its diplomatic missions abroad on fire and to harm Russian employees and their families.

“There have been repeated attempts to set fire to the buildings of our embassies and consulates, with Molotov cocktails and other dangerous objects having been thrown into their territory. Window panes were broken in schools, office buildings and residential buildings,” Deputy Foreign Minister Yevgeny Ivanov told Russian state news agency TASS.

He claimed that there are cases of “direct aggression” against Russian employees and their families, with attempts to set up accidents and cause intentional damage to cars.

Ivanov said that Moscow continues to "record egregious cases of violations of international law by foreign states, including in the field of ensuring the security of Russian diplomatic missions and consular institutions."

“Contrary to their obligations, many countries representing the so-called collective West allow not only provocations but also violent actions against Russian foreign missions and their personnel,” Ivanov said.

He added that the Prosecutor General's Office of Russia has already initiated criminal cases related to these attempts.

He also said that EU countries have minimized the issuance of multiple-entry visas for Russian citizens.

“Some EU countries, without formally refusing to issue visas to Russians, put forward conditions that are obviously impossible to fulfill," he said, adding that in particular, the payment of visa fees through Western banks or submission of a medical insurance policy from a foreign company is requested by these countries, which is "extremely problematic in the face of unprecedented Western sanctions."