Two staff at France's main state research agency have admitted throwing improvised explosive devices at the Russian consulate in the city of Marseille, saying they acted because of the Russia-Ukraine war, prosecutors said Wednesday, February 26.
Three plastic bottles were lobbed into the consulate gardens in the southern port city and two exploded on the third anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on Monday. The bottles contained a cocktail of nitrogen and other chemical substances. No one was injured and no damage was reported.
The two suspects, French nationals, are employed by the National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), prosecutors said. One is an engineer and the other a chemist. Both will appear before a judge on Thursday, the Marseille prosecutor's office said.
The men "justify their action in the context of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine," Marseille prosecutor Nicolas Bessone said. The researchers are charged with damaging property "by a means dangerous to persons" and "unauthorized manufacture of explosive or incendiary devices," Bessone added.
The CNRS conducts research in fields including biology, mathematics, and chemistry, and has more than 1,100 laboratories. The organization employs some 33,000 people including researchers from the former Soviet Union.
Moscow called the incident a "terrorist attack," while the French government condemned "any infringement of the security of diplomatic compounds."
Regional newspaper La Provence reported that the two men, in their forties and fifties, were identified during a pro-Ukraine protest at Marseille town hall on Monday. The Russian embassy in Paris said it had asked French authorities before the incident to tighten security around Russian diplomatic missions "in view of possible provocations."
"Nevertheless, such attacks occurred," the embassy said.
Russia's Investigative Committee, which looks into major crimes, said on Tuesday it had launched its own probe and was preparing "an international request for legal assistance."