Fire breaks out outside Russian consulate in Marseille after apparent explosion, reports say

A fire broke out in front of the Russian consulate in the French port city of Marseille after an unidentified device caused an explosion on Monday, according to reports.

BFM said that two devices were thrown at the facade of the building in the early morning, causing explosions and material damage. Other outlets reported Molotov cocktails were likely used in the incident.

However, the Bouches-du-Rhône police told BFM that “the notion of a Molotov cocktail does not seem to be the right one at this stage.”

No injuries were reported, the television channel said. Staff inside the consulate were temporarily placed on lockdown.

Earlier, French media said firefighters and police were sent to the site. Footage from the incident also showed bomb disposal teams working in the area.

Russia’s foreign ministry told state-owned media that the incident had the hallmarks of a “terrorist attack” and demanded a thorough investigation from French authorities.

The French police have so far not speculated on the motives behind the explosions.

The consulate is located on Avenue Ambroise-Paré, close to multiple other consulates in the area including those of Egypt, Tunisia, Armenia and Sao Tome and Principe.

The incident comes on the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.