While the Russian consulate in Marseille was not damaged or injured during an incident on Monday, the area was closed off for several hours to allow bomb disposal experts to act.
ADVERTISEMENTTwo researchers, employed at France’s leading research agency, received an eight-month prison sentence after being accused of hurling explosives at the Russian consulate in Marseille.
The attack occurred on February 24, the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The researchers used homemade explosives, including a mixture of nitrogen and other chemicals, which were thrown in plastic bottles at the consulate’s gardens.
Two of the three bottles exploded, leading to the area being sealed off for bomb disposal experts to work. No damage or injuries were reported.
The researchers were arrested at a pro-Ukraine rally outside the Marseille town hall. They admitted to taking liquid nitrogen from their workplace laboratory.
The public prosecutor, Olivier Redon, stated that the incident was not dangerous and that the researchers acted with caution.
One of the researchers is a 59-year-old man, married to a Ukrainian woman. TF1 reported that his father-in-law has been staying on their sofa since Russia’s invasion.
The researchers were given eight-month prison sentences, but the prosecutor recommended that they serve these sentences with electronic tags instead of in cells. They are also banned from the consulate’s area and restricted from owning weapons for five years.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova referred to the incident as “a clear act of terrorism”.
