Ukrainian officials said Friday that their diplomats have been receiving packages containing animal eyes in what they called a “campaign of terror and intimidation.”
Ukraine Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleh Nikolenko said on Facebook that embassies and consulates in six European countries have received the packages. Ukraine’s Vatican ambassador also said the front of his home was smeared with feces.
The parcels have been sent in the days after a package exploded Wednesday at Ukraine’s Spanish embassy in Madrid, injuring one.
“It’s a very strong signal,” said Kovalenko Maksym, the Ukrainian consul in Naples, who received two letters with fish eyes on Thursday. Embassies in Hungary, Netherlands, Poland, Croatia and Italy, along with consulates in Krakow, Poland, and the Czech Republic city of Brno, have received packages.
Police in the Czech Republic evacuated the consulate in Brno and its surroundings on Friday while investigating a package.
An X-ray scan determined there were no explosives, but initial analysis revealed there was animal tissue inside the package. In a tweet, the police stated a detailed analysis would be conducted.
The entrance of the Rome residence of Andrii Yurash, the Ukrainian ambassador to the Vatican, was also vandalized on Thursday afternoon with what he believed was animal feces.
Following the latest threats, Ukraine has increased security for its embassies and consulates.
“We have reason to believe that a well-planned campaign of terror and intimidation of Ukrainian embassies and consulates is taking place,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba stated.
Kuleba believes the threats are from those who have not been able “to stop Ukraine on the diplomatic front.”
Kuleba urged foreign governments to ensure maximum protection of Ukrainian diplomatic institutions.
UKRAINE FOREIGN MINISTRY/Reuters
