Russia’s foreign ministry summoned Canada’s ambassador Monday, claiming Ottawa police and the RCMP turned a blind eye to attacks on its embassy. Russia’s ambassador to Canada, Oleg Stepanov, said an unidentified person ran from a nearby park toward the embassy shortly after midnight on Sept. 12 and threw a lit Molotov cocktail over the fence before leaving. He said the device did not ignite and no property was damaged. In a Russian-language statement on Monday evening, Moscow’s foreign ministry claimed that police had turned a blind eye to “aggressive protesters” blocking public access to the embassy’s consular section. Moscow claims that the police witnessed this incident but did not intervene. The Russian government has said authorities are not doing enough to deter or detain those who commit “hostile acts” against its diplomatic personnel in violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. Foreign Minister Melanie Joly’s office said it was closely monitoring the matter. “Violence and vandalism are not acceptable and we understand that the appropriate authorities are looking into this matter,” wrote spokesman Adrien Blanchard. The Ottawa Police Service said it was not aware of the embassy filing a report. “There has been no police report that we are aware of,” spokeswoman Carol McPherson wrote. The national division of the RCMP, which is tasked with protecting foreign diplomatic property, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Russian embassy in Ottawa provided an article to state news website Sputnik in which Stepanov argues that his staff needs police or security guards permanently stationed at diplomatic missions. The country has a separate embassy, consulate and trade office in Ottawa, all three located near the Rideau River, as well as a consulate in Toronto and Montreal. Stepanov said his officials had provided police with video footage of the Molotov cocktail incident. “We are essentially talking about an attempt to commit a terrorist act,” he was quoted as saying in the Sputnik post. Moscow summoned Canadian ambassador Alison LeClair, a move intended to highlight Russia’s growing anger with Canada. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Sunday that Russia’s actions following the invasion of Ukraine “clearly involve war crimes,” noting reports of mass graves. Jolie’s office doubled down on that phrase Monday. “We will spare no effort to hold Putin and his accomplices accountable for their war crimes,” Blanchard wrote. “We will continue to impose severe costs on the Russian regime for this unjustified intrusion.” The Russian embassy is located on Charlotte Street in Ottawa, where the city has posted “Free-Libre Ukraine” signs. A bicycle painted blue and yellow sat outside the embassy for weeks until a team spray-painted it black on August 16. The group also painted a large Z on the sidewalk and lamp post, which is a sign indicating support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. A passerby posted photos on social media of the group, which appeared to have arrived at the scene in a car with diplomatic plates. This report by The Canadian Press was first published on September 19, 2022.
