A Ukrainian national was arrested by the Swedish police after attempting to break into the Russian embassy in Stockholm by ramming a car into the gates, according to the diplomatic representation.
The incident occurred on Tuesday morning when a 45-year-old Ukrainian national, whose name was not disclosed, tried to drive his car through the entrance, as stated by the embassy in a statement. Police officers were able to quickly apprehend the man.
The Russian representation stated that the embassy was not seriously damaged and no one was injured, but criticized the law enforcement authorities for their obvious negligence and failure to prevent such incidents from occurring in the first place. “The perpetrator is well known to the embassy and the local police” emphasized the Russian diplomats.
The embassy explained that the suspect had previously carried out attacks on Russian diplomatic institutions in Sweden in 2015 and 2018 and was “declared mentally unfit and sent to appropriate treatment by the Swedish authorities.”
The Ukrainian had, in the meantime, resumed his sabotage activities, the statement said. “However, the police did not take serious measures against this person, which led to the current incident” it added.
The Swedish police confirmed the incident. The local newspaper Expressen reported that an investigation is now underway for attempted serious disturbance of the peace. However, the police refused to comment on the nationality of the perpetrator.
In November, an unidentified drone had dropped paint on the Russian embassy in Stockholm. According to Russian diplomats, there were at least ten similar vandalism attempts targeting the building and its property in 2024 alone.
Since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022, Russian diplomatic missions have frequently been harassed and attacked, with vandals often throwing eggs at the buildings or defacing them with spray paint.
Under the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, the country hosting a diplomatic mission is responsible for protecting its premises from intruders or other acts of violence.