An explosion was heard near the Russian consulate in Marseille, France, French media reported on Monday morning.

Firemen were reportedly at the scene, but French police could not confirm the reports. Russia responds

Russian Consul General in Marseille, Stanislav Oranskiy, confirmed to La Marseillaise that the explosion happened from inside the embassy.

“The explosions on the territory of the Consulate General of the Russian Federation in Marseille have all the signs of a terrorist attack, and we demand that the country accredit comprehensive and prompt investigative measures, as well as steps to strengthen the security of Russian missions abroad,” the diplomat said.

This comes as the EU announced its sixteenth package of sanctions against Moscow and the commemorations marking three years since the beginning of the Ukraine-Russia War.