After letter bombs, Ukrainian embassies and general consulates across Europe have received "bloody" packages containing animal eyes.
Oleg Nikolenko, Ukraine's foreign ministry spokesperson, said the packages soaked in a liquid with a distinctive color and smell have been sent to embassies in Hungary, the Netherlands, Croatia, Poland and Italy, as well to general consulates in Krakow, Naples, and Czech Republic.
The foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba ordered the embassies and consulates to be placed under heightened security. He highlighted that there have been 17 cases of embassies receiving letter bombs, false bomb letters, or letters containing animal parts, like the eyes of cows and pigs.
Campaign of Terror
Kuleba believes this to be a well-planned campaign of terror and intimidation of Ukrainian embassies and consulates. "Ukrainian authorities would not be intimidated. We will continue to work effectively for the victory of Ukraine."
The minister said it started with an explosion at the embassy of Ukraine in Spain's Madrid wherein one employee sustained injuries. The letter contained a flammable powder that ignited upon opening. Moreover, the Ukrainian consulate in Brno, Czech Republic was briefly evacuated on Friday after receiving a suspicious package containing animal tissues.
Andrii Yurash, Ukraine's ambassador to the Vatican, said the entrance to his Rome residence was vandalized with what he believed to be animal faeces. He told the Associated Press that the door to the apartment and the stairs and the walls in the entryway were smeared with a dirty substance with an unpleasant smell.
"The diplomatic mission in Italy received some letters also with some very unpleasant stuff inside, I mean some animal eyes," Yurash said. "It is hard to explain completely why, and what is the reason of this terrible message, but it is no doubt a systematic attack on Ukrainian missions around Europe."
Kuleba said Russia benefits from creating terror and horror in hearts. "Maybe this terror response is the Russian answer to the diplomatic horror that we created for Russia on the international arena, and this is how they try to fight back while they are losing the real diplomatic battles one after another."
The Ukrainian minister feels that Russia was either directly responsible or someone who sympathizes with the Russian cause and tries to spread fear.
