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The gate to the Russian consulate in Lviv, Ukraine, in an older shot
Photo: PAVEL PALAMARCHUK / Sputnik via AFP
According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, an attack is said to have been carried out on the Russian consulate in Lviv.
The Ministry writes in a statement of an "act of terrorism".
A stranger had thrown a Molotov cocktail at the entrance of the consulate.
Nobody was injured.
The Foreign Ministry calls the act a "result of the increased Russiophobic hysteria in Ukraine."
The Ukrainian government would stir up hatred and hostility towards Russia.
In response, the Russian Foreign Ministry summoned a Ukrainian official in Moscow and asked for an apology.
The police in Lviv in western Ukraine were initially unable to confirm a terrorist attack and speak of "hooligans".
Investigations would be initiated.
"Big Worry"
The conflict could further fuel tensions between Russia and Ukraine.
Both countries have been in a verbal escalation spiral for weeks and accuse each other of warmongering.
For some time now, Russia has been massively arming its troops near the border with Ukraine.
The Kremlin recently rejected fears of an attack and accused Ukraine and NATO of provocations.
It was only on Wednesday that Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) confirmed that she was “very worried” about the Russian troop movements on the border with Ukraine.
She called on Moscow to return to the negotiating table.
NATO has recently put its units in readiness for action, and troop reinforcements in the eastern countries of the defense alliance have also been discussed.
Russia does not want a conflict, assured Putin at his annual conference on Thursday, but at the same time exercised aggressive rhetoric and referred to an alleged threat from the West.
"We have a feeling that Ukraine is preparing for a military operation in Donbass," he said.
Since the end of the Cold War, NATO has "deceived" Russia with its "waves of enlargement".
mrc / Reuters
