KIEV (Sputnik) – The Russian embassy in Ukraine told Sputnik on Saturday that it had sent a note of protest to the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry over the attack on the Russian Center for Science and Culture in Kiev, calling the authorities to hold the attack perpetrators accountable.
"We call on the Ukrainian authorities to provide the relevant legal assessment of the radical activists’ actions, hold the organizers and participants of the mayhem accountable, and take exhaustive measures in order not to allow similar actions in the future. The embassy has submitted a note of protest to the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry," the embassy’s press service said.
Earlier in the day, Russia's permanent envoy to the OSCE Alexander Lukashevich said Moscow expects that the Organization for Security and Co-operation Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (OSCE SMM) will respond to the recent attack.
"Against the backdrop of these provocations and threats, we have responded to the OSCE SMM demanding to rapidly respond to the blatant example of aggressive nationalism and to issue an urgent report about the developments in order to inform all the OSCE member states about this barbaric situation. It is also important to prevent potential attacks on the Russian Center for Science and Culture in future," Alexander Lukashevich said.
The Russian diplomat added that he hoped for a response to the incident from such institutions as the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights and the office of the OSCE high commissioner on national minorities.
"According to our data, on February 18, one more neo-Nazi group Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists is planning to set the building of [the Russian Center for Science and Culture] on fire. This is unacceptable," Lukashevich added.
According to the envoy, Moscow also called on Kiev to condemn the incident.
"We demand an official condemnation of the radicals' activities by the Ukrainian leadership. The policy of connivance with barbaric nationalism has pushed things too far. The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly will start next week. We expect that the lawmakers will comment on the incident, especially taking into account that the pogrom was led by their colleague — Andriy Lozovoy, a member of Ukraine's parliament from the Radical Party," Lukashevich told reporters.
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In an interview with Sputnik, head of the Russian foreign cooperation agency Rossotrudnichestvo Eleonora Mitrofanova said Moscow will take all necessary measures via diplomatic channels following the attack on the center in Kiev.
"The action was taking place under an extremist motto, there were calls for physical violence against the center's staff and guests. About 50 children of ages ranging from 5 to 15 were in the building during the attack. There was also a group of foreigners learning Russian at the center," the Center's Director Konstantin Vorobiev said.
Earlier in the day, the Center's Director Konstantin Vorobiev told Sputnik that about 30 people from various radical organizations, including Andriy Lozovoy, a member of Ukraine's parliament, broke into the center and caused significant material damage before leaving the building. They wrote "Death to Russia" on the walls of the building and demanded the end of the center's operation in Ukraine.