Russian embassy in EU state capital firebombed
The Russian embassy in Vilnius has been subjected to attempted firebombings two nights in a row, Lithuanian police have reported.
The incidents on Sunday and Monday involved Molotov cocktails being tossed at the Russian diplomatic mission in the early hours of the morning, between 2-3am local time, police spokesman Ramunas Matonis told local media on Monday. He added that one of the walls of the building had been damaged.
Investigators have yet to identify any suspects and have no evidence of possible motives behind the attacks, the official said.
The city police force is considering enhancing security outside of the Russian embassy, spokeswoman Julija Samorokovskaja said. The compound is normally guarded by officers during the day, while its entrances are under the constant watch of CCTV cameras, according to the local press.
Moscow has yet to comment on the attempted firebombings.
Lithuania, a staunch supporter of Ukraine in its conflict with Russia, has long accused Moscow of pursuing hostile policies and threatening its national security.
In 2022, the Vilnius city council decided to rename the street on which Moscow’s mission is located ‘Ukrainian Heroes Street’, to spite Russian diplomats. Then-mayor Remigijus Simasius boasted at the time that “the business card of every employee of the Russian embassy will be decorated with a note honoring Ukraine’s fighting.”
The city is currently considering renaming Rusu Gatve, or Russian Street, after Tadas Tumas, a Lithuanian national who was killed while serving in the Ukrainian Foreign Legion, a group fighting for Kiev who Moscow considers mercenaries.
