Bloody packages containing 'animal eyes' sent to Ukrainian embassies across Europe - CNN

CNN  — 

More than a twelve letters containing explosives oregon carnal parts person been sent to Ukrainian diplomats astir the world, according to Ukraine’s overseas curate Dmytro Kuleba.

“This run is aimed astatine sowing fear,” Kuleba told CNN’s Matthew Chance successful an exclusive interrogation successful Kyiv connected Friday.

There person been 17 cases of embassies receiving either missive bombs, mendacious weaponry letters, oregon letters containing animals parts, similar the eyes of cows and pigs, helium added.

CNN was shown an representation of 1 of the letters containing what officials said was the eyeball of a pig wrong a padded envelope.

“It started with an detonation astatine the embassy of Ukraine successful Spain,” Kuleba said. “But what followed this detonation was much weird, and I would adjacent accidental sick.”

Kuleba was referring to an detonation that occurred connected Wednesday astatine Ukraine’s embassy successful Madrid, injuring 1 Ukrainian worker who was handling a missive addressed to the country’s ambassador to Spain. Spanish officials said Thursday a missive weaponry was besides sent to the country’s premier curate past week and different to the US embassy.

Kyiv’s embassies successful Hungary, the Netherlands, Poland, Croatia, Italy, Austria, and the consulates wide successful Naples and Krakow, person besides received suspicious packages, Oleh Nikolenko, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, said Friday connected Facebook.

The packages were “soaked successful a liquid of a diagnostic colour and had a corresponding smell,” helium said. “We are examining the meaning of this message.”

Ukraine has enactment each of its overseas diplomatic stations nether heightened information pursuing the slew of suspicious mail.

The Ukrainian Consulate successful Brno, a metropolis successful the southeast of the Czech Republic, was concisely evacuated connected Friday aft receiving a suspicious bundle containing carnal tissue, Czech constabulary added successful a tweet connected Friday.

When asked who helium thought was down the letters, Kuleba told CNN said, “I consciousness tempted to say, to sanction Russia consecutive away, due to the fact that archetypal of each you person to reply the question, who benefits?”

“Maybe this panic effect is the Russian reply to the diplomatic fearfulness that we created for Russia connected the planetary arena, and this is however they effort to combat backmost portion they are losing the existent diplomatic battles 1 aft another.”

He said that helium thought that Russia was either straight responsible, oregon idiosyncratic “who sympathizes [with] the Russian origin and tries to dispersed fear.”

“The decision volition beryllium made by investigators, but I deliberation these 2 versions marque astir of the sense.”

CNN has reached retired to the Kremlin for remark connected the letters.

Kuleba earlier urged overseas governments to warrant maximum extortion of Ukrainian diplomatic institutions successful accordance with the Vienna Convention connected Diplomatic Relations.

In summation to the suspicious packages, Nikolenko said the entranceway to the Ambassador’s residence successful the Vatican was vandalized and the Ukrainian Embassy successful Kazakhstan received a study of a weaponry threat, which was aboriginal not confirmed.

Nikolenko besides stated that the Ukrainian Embassy successful the United States received a missive with a photocopy of a captious nonfiction astir Ukraine. Most of the envelopes were sent from wrong Europe, helium added.

Czech constabulary tweeted that the consulate successful Brno and its contiguous surroundings, including a kindergarten, were evacuated Friday. After investigating the package, the constabulary said it did not incorporate immoderate explosives, adding that they had nary accusation to bespeak radical astatine the consulate oregon its vicinity were successful immoderate danger.

“Initial investigation suggest the bundle contained carnal tissue. A elaborate investigation of volition beryllium conducted successful laboratories now,” the constabulary tweeted.