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Molotov Cocktails Thrown At Russian Embassy In Belarus


MINSK -- Unknown assailants threw two Molotov cocktails into the compound of the Russian Embassy in Minsk on the night of August 30, RFE/RL's Belarus Service reports.

A duty officer an the Russian Embassy confirmed the incident to RFE/RL, but declined to give details, saying that an investigation is under way. Representatives of the Ministry for Emergency Situations say no one was hurt. One car parked near the embassy was damaged.

Meanwhile, the Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement calling for a thorough investigation. The statement also said the Russian side considered the incident an attempt by unknown groups to sow mistrust and tension between Russia and Belarus.

Belarusian Foreign Ministry spokesman Andrey Savinykh called on the investigators to find the attackers and "punish them in accordance with the law."

Security around the Belarusian Embassy in Russia has been tightened in the wake of today's attack.

It's not the first attack on the Russian Embassy in Minsk. In 2001, an unknown man threw a grenade into the compound hours before then-Russian President Vladimir Putin was scheduled to visit Minsk. In 1997, unknown attackers opened fire with machine guns on the embassy building.

Nobody was hurt in either incident, nor was anyone arrested and brought to trial for the attacks.
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