Russian Foreign Ministry reacts harshly to provocation in Kiev against Russian diplomats

The Russian diplomatic service expressed a strong protest to the Charge d’Affaires of Ukraine in Russia.

According to TASS, the Russian Foreign Ministry on Wednesday expressed a strong protest to the Charge d’Affaires of Ukraine in the Russian Federation Vasily Pokotilo in connection with the provocation in Kiev against Russian diplomats.

“On March 17, Charge d’Affaires of Ukraine in the Russian Federation Vasily Pokotilo was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry, to whom a strong protest was expressed in connection with the provocative action that took place in Kiev on March 16 against the diplomats of the Russian Embassy in Ukraine”, – the ministry said in a statement. Russia in Kiev sent a note of protest to the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry in connection with this incident. 

Moscow demands from Kiev to bring to justice those responsible for the action.

“They demanded that the Ukrainian side take urgent measures to conduct a thorough investigation of what happened and bring the perpetrators to justice, as well as prevent such actions in the future and provide conditions for the personal safety and immunity of Russian diplomats in Ukraine”, – the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

As the diplomatic office emphasized, the Ukrainian diplomat was told that “the Russian side considers this provocation as another gross violation by Ukraine of the provisions of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961, which contain the obligation of the receiving party to prevent any disturbance of the peace of diplomatic missions or insult their dignity, providing guarantees of security, inviolability and respect of the diplomatic agent”.