Russia slams ‘light sentencing’ of pro-Ukraine arsonists

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A French court has sentenced two pro-Ukraine activists who threw makeshift bombs at the Russian consulate in Marseilles on Monday to eight months of house arrest, multiple media outlets have reported. The Russian embassy in France has slammed the punishment as far too lenient for an attempted terrorist attack.

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The two French nationals, referred to as Vasile H., 48, and Georges S., 59, were charged with “unauthorized manufacture of an explosive or incendiary device,” as well as “attempted property damage by means dangerous to people,” Le Figaro wrote on Thursday. Both were sentenced to eight months of house arrest, to be served with mandatory ankle monitoring bracelets, the newspaper added.

The Russian embassy in France protested the pair’s soft punishment in a statement on Thursday.

“The very lenient sentence handed down is absolutely inconsistent with the gravity of the crime – essentially, an attempt to commit a terrorist act,” the consulate stressed, adding that it was sheer luck that no one was hurt.

The suspects, both employees of the French National Center for Scientific Research, had admitted their guilt in the arson attack, Reuters wrote on Thursday. Prosecutors had been seeking a year of monitoring for the pair, according to the outlet.

The terrorists
who attacked the Consulate General of Russia in Marseille were sentenced to 8 months, they will serve them at home and wear electronic
bracelets.8 month at home for terrorism. This is Macron’s France. https://t.co/3MtgLGkJkOpic.twitter.com/EKthWBOZZ6

— Mikhail Rogov 🇷🇺 🇵🇸 🇱🇧 (@MishaRogov) February 27, 2025

The attackers procured liquid nitrogen from their workplace and used it to fashion explosive devices. The super-cooled liquid gas is usually stored at below -196 degrees Celsius (-321 Fahrenheit) and rapidly turns into a gas once placed into a closed container, increasing the pressure, Le Figaro wrote, citing Vasile H. The two accomplices brought a thermos flask with the chemical, fashioned their makeshift explosives from plastic soda bottles and threw them onto the Russian consulate grounds, he reportedly explained.

“I threw a bottle but it fell next to the neighbor’s house. I ran away and I didn’t hear anything. I told myself that I had done it for nothing,” he reportedly said.

Georges S. admitted that had one of their explosive devices landed on a person, it would have caused injuries, according to Le Figaro.

The suspects were reportedly detained at a rally in support of Ukraine later the same day.

The “incompetence” of the perpetrators “does not relieve them of responsibility for what they did and cannot serve as a mitigating circumstance” in determining their punishment, the Russian embassy statement insisted.

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