Ukraine ramps up security at embassies worldwide after letter bomb blast

Ukraine on Wednesday stepped up the security at its embassies worldwide after the letterbomb explosion in the Ukrainian consulate in Madrid. A security officer at the embassy was injured after he opened a letter addressed to the ambassador on Wednesday and a blast occurred. Ukraine, in response, ordered the bolstering of security for its representative offices globally. 

Spanish government official Mercedes Gonzalez told broadcaster Telemadrid that the injured security guard was rushed to the hospital for treatment. “Fortunately it was not serious, the person has a small injury to his right hand. The letter was addressed to the ambassador,” she stressed. The suspicious letter arrived via ordinary mail at Ukraine's embassy in Madrid and was not scanned. The injured guard had opened it in the garden of the embassy, Gonzalez further informed. A police source told the station that the guard was “lightly” injured and “went himself to a hospital” for treatment and no serious casualties were recorded as the letterbomb explosion occurred outside in the garden. 

Bomb disposal team deployed to scene 

Spain’s National Police force noted that the emergency call was made at around 1:00 pm (1200 GMT) of an explosion at the Ukrainian embassy in Madrid. Police officers arrived at the scene and instated a security cordon around the embassy in northern Madrid. A bomb disposal unit was deployed to the scene. Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba, on Nov 30, demanded that Spain thoroughly investigates the blast. Perpetrators “will not succeed in intimidating Ukrainian diplomats or stopping their daily work on strengthening Ukraine and countering Russian aggression," he wrote.

Kuleba also ordered Kyiv’s embassies abroad to “urgently” strengthen security over looming threat, Ukraine’s foreign ministry spokesperson Oleg Nikolenko said on social media after the letterbomb incident. A Spanish High Court will probe the matter, and detectives were called to investigate the incident. They are being aided by forensic and intelligence investigators, Spanish police sources reportedly said. 

Meanwhile, Spain’s Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares held a telephonic conversation with Ukraine’s ambassador to Spain “to ask about the well-being of the Ukrainian worker who was injured,” the Spanish foreign ministry said in a statement published on Nov 30. He also contacted Kuleba  to express his “support and solidarity."