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Ukrainian foreign ministry condemns attacks on Russian diplomatic missions

Ukraine’s interior ministry stressed "that those involved in them bear responsibility under the current laws of our country"

KIEV, March 11. /TASS/. Ukraine’s foreign ministry has followed the lead of the interior ministry and condemned attacks on Russian diplomatic and consular missions.

"In connections with inquiries about acts of vandalism against Ukrainian and Russian diplomatic missions, we draw attention to the relevant statement of the Ukrainian interior ministry. It reiterated our country’s commitment to its international legal liabilities and stressed resolute inadmissibility of such illegal acts and the necessity to call to answer those responsible for that under Ukraine’s current laws," the ministry said in a statement on Friday.

The Ukrainian foreign ministry also called on Russia to ensure safe protection of Ukrainian diplomatic missions on its territory.

Earlier on Friday, Ukraine’s interior ministry categorically condemned attacks on Russian diplomatic and consular missions and stressed "that those involved in them bear responsibility under the current laws of our country."

The ministry admitted that protection of foreign diplomatic and consular establishments is Ukraine’s international liability under the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations.

"Any infringement of their inviolability is an infringement of the international authority of our state and its international liabilities," the ministry said in a statement.

At the same time, the Ukrainian interior ministry said it "shares justified indignation of people" over the court trial of Nadezhda Savchenko and other Ukrainian nationals in Russia.

The Russian Foreign Ministry on Friday sent a note to Ukraine in connection with the recent attacks on Russian diplomatic and consular missions in a number of Ukrainian cities - Kiev, Lvov, Odessa and Kharkov - to draw attention of the Ukrainian authorities to "extremist provocations."

"The extremist actions were often encouraged and sometimes guided and orchestrated by Verkhovna Rada deputies and Ukraine’s political and public figures," Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told a briefing. "There is no doubt about that because everything was documented. It clearly shows that such provocations have been planned in advance."

The Russian side demanded that the Kiev government prosecute and punish all the persons linked to the pogroms. "Moscow hopes that the Ukrainian authorities and law enforcers will provide all the necessary conditions for Ukraine to meet its international commitment to observe the provisions of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations," Zakharova stressed. "The Ukrainian side bears full responsibility for possible provocations against Russian diplomatic and consular missions in Ukraine and all the ensuing negative consequences.".