Moscow: Our diplomatic missions have been exposed to more than a thousand hostile incidents

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Yevgeny Ivanov revealed that the number of hostile incidents that occurred near Russian embassies and missions abroad in the first months of 2022 exceeded a thousand and is still rising.

Russia Today website quoted Ivanov as saying in a statement: “With the start of the special military operation to protect Donbass, the number of various offensive manifestations and hostile behavior around Russian embassies and consular offices abroad has increased significantly… and if there were about three hundred such incidents in 2021, but in the first five months of this year, that number has already exceeded a thousand and continues to increase.”

Ivanov pointed out that what is happening significantly worsens the situation in the field of ensuring the security of diplomatic missions, pointing out in this regard that additional measures have been taken to enhance the security of these missions, employees and members of their families.

Ivanov explained that Moscow does not consider it necessary at present to evacuate its embassies’ employees from unfriendly countries, stressing that there are measures that can be taken in the event of an emergency.

Ivanov said: “The authorities of countries where anti-Russian elements are active have taken measures to protect Russian diplomatic missions from extremist attacks in accordance with international obligations, and therefore we do not see the need to evacuate part of the employees of Russian foreign missions from unfriendly countries at this stage… Although this option is stipulated in the event of an undesirable development of events.”