Two researchers at France's main state research agency were sentenced Thursday, February 27, to eight months in prison for throwing improvised explosive devices at the Russian consulate in Marseille in protest at Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.
Georges Sitja, 59, and Vasile Heresanu, 48, are however expected to serve their sentences by wearing electronic tags.
The two Frenchmen, who are employed by the National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), have admitted to throwing the three bottles at the consulate. No one was injured and no damage was reported.
They have been banned from approaching the Russian consulate and carrying weapons for the next five years. The men will spend the night in jail pending their expected sentence adjustment. The men said they had filled the bottles with liquid nitrogen which they had taken from their laboratory. They insisted that the substance was not dangerous.
"We see the behavior of honest people," said prosecutor Olivier Redon, adding that their act was "not dangerous." However, he added that diplomatic compounds should not be targeted. "It is a taboo, it's not done," added Redon.
The courtroom was packed, with the Russian consul general in Marseille and a representative of the CNRS attending the hearing. Sitja, who is married to a Ukrainian-born woman, called himself an "idealist." The bespectacled man added that he wanted to "draw attention to the state of the world."
Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, his father-in-law has been staying with the couple, sleeping on their sofa. "Things are going in the wrong direction," added Heresanu, 48, a Frenchman of Romanian origin with black wavy hair.
He pointed to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine as well as elections in the United States that returned Donald Trump to power. He said that he only wanted to "make some noise," but now felt "completely overwhelmed" and regretted his actions.
Moscow insists that its diplomatic mission in the southern city of Marseille was targeted by a "terrorist" attack when three plastic bottles were lobbed toward the consulate premises on the third anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on Monday.
"The acts committed are serious and present all the signs of a terrorist act," said the Russian consul, Stanislav Oranskiy.
Russia's Investigative Committee, which looks into major crimes, launched an investigation into "attacks on persons or institutions benefiting from international protection," which is punishable in Russia by up to 20 years in prison.