Ukrainian embassies across Europe receive bloody packages

The packages were sent to Ukraine's embassies in Hungary, the Netherlands, Poland, Croatia and Italy, to general consulates in Naples and Krakow, and to the consulate in Brno.

A policeman stands guard near the US embassy in Madrid on December 1, after they received a letter bomb, similar to one which went off at the Ukrainian embassy.
AFP

A policeman stands guard near the US embassy in Madrid on December 1, after they received a letter bomb, similar to one which went off at the Ukrainian embassy.

Several Ukrainian embassies abroad have received "bloody packages" containing animal eyes, the foreign ministry says, after a series of letter bombs were sent to addresses in Spain including Ukraine's embassy in Madrid.

The packages, soaked in a liquid with a distinctive colour and smell, were sent to embassies in Hungary, the Netherlands, Poland, Croatia and Italy, to general consulates in Naples and Krakow, and the consulate in Brno, spokesperson Oleg Nikolenko said on Friday.

"We are studying the meaning of this message," Nikolenko wrote in a statement on Facebook, adding that Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has ordered all the embassies and consulates concerned to be placed under heightened security.

READ MORE: Explosion hits Ukrainian Embassy in Madrid

Letter bombs

Six letter bombs have been sent this week to targets in Spain, including Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and the US Embassy to Madrid, prompting Spain to step up security.

Nikolenko said the entrance to the flat of the ambassador to the Vatican had been vandalised. An embassy source in Rome said human faeces were left in front of the door.

Nikolenko also said that the embassy in Kazakhstan had received a bomb threat, which was subsequently not confirmed.

The embassy in the United States received a letter containing an article that was critical about Ukraine, he said. 

The letter, like most of the others, originated from one European country, he said, without giving details. 

READ MORE: Biden, Macron vow to work closely to help Ukraine, pressurise Russia

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