Explosion at Russian consulate in France after plastic bottles thrown

The French interior ministry said plastic bottles were thrown at the wall of the consulate in the southern city of Marseille and one exploded, reported Reuters.

A second device was thrown but did not explode.

There were no casualties and all staff and the Russian consul were unharmed, the source added.

Other reports said a suspect had fled the scene. The French authorities have not provided any details on a potential suspect or motive.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it was "necessary" to strengthen "all security measures" at Russian consulates following the incident in Marseille.

"All necessary measures are being taken by diplomatic agencies to draw the attention of the host country to the need to strengthen all security measures," he said.

It was not immediately clear how much damage had been caused by the explosion.

French fire service officials confirmed crews were at the scene. A bomb disposal expert was also at the site.

Consulate staff were kept indoors as police set up a security perimeter around the area, said a French security source.

Russia's consul general in Marseille, Stanislav Oranskiy, said the incident took place inside the building, reported Russian news outlet RBC.

French media had earlier reported a blast was heard near the consulate and firefighters were at the site.

According to Russian state news agency TASS, the Russian foreign ministry said the incident had the hallmarks of a "terrorist attack" and demanded a thorough investigation from French authorities.

Foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said: "We demand (from France) exhaustive and prompt measures to investigate, as well as steps to strengthen the security of Russian foreign missions."

The incident in the port city comes on the third anniversary of the war in Ukraine.

France has seen multiple protests against Russia's war in Ukraine, including demonstrations in Marseille, Paris and other cities.

-SKY NEWS