In the afternoon of April 26, a fire broke out in the building of the Russian Science and Culture Center (RCSC, part of Rossotrudnichestvo) in the capital of Cyprus, Nicosia. How informs In the local edition of the Cyprus Times, the fire started at noon (the time coincides with Moscow).
The building was under renovation at the time of the fire. Five firefighters immediately withdrew there. According to Nicosia fire chief Andrea Ketty, the fire engulfed several floors at the same time, significantly damaging the structure.
According to RCSC head Alina Radchenko, eyewitnesses said that the center’s building was showered with Molotov cocktails. “There were two powerful explosions, the wall and the roof were on fire,” Radchenko said, noting that all people were evacuated from the building.
Witnesses also reported a suspicious white van that had been operating near the headquarters for the past few days. He fled the scene as soon as the fire broke out.
Radchenko later added that no one was harmed by the fire. “Everyone was evacuated, everyone was warned, the building was cordoned off by police and firefighters – everyone arrived on time. <…> Nobody was injured,” he said.
Andrea Ketty later said that rescuers were able to reach the roof of the building to put out the fire. They also check inside the center to rule out the possibility of people being there, just in case.
The fire was localized at around 15:00. Ketty said there are oxygen tanks used for repair work inside the building and some of them could explode.
“As well as the entrance to the roof of the building for full extinguishing, small-scale fires inside the building were also extinguished. In addition, the fire was localized. Search continues for people trapped in the building. In addition, the oxygen cylinders used for work were taken to the street,” he said.
According to the official, the causes of the fire will be investigated in cooperation with the police and, if necessary, other government agencies.
Participating in the broadcast of Russia 24 TV channel, Radchenko said that the fire in the RCSC may have been caused by arson. If this version is confirmed, he did not rule out that the attackers responded to the difficult position of the center in this way.
“I think this is a response to our tough stance. The fact that many Cypriots support Russia,” he said.
At the same time, he stressed that it is not yet possible to reliably identify the perpetrators of the incident and can only be speculated.
“The pro-Ukrainian diaspora is quite active here. The embassies of unfriendly countries are also quite active. “They support all well-known people who are ready to do anti-Russian work,” Radchenko said.
At about 16:00, Russian Ambassador to Cyprus Murat Zyazikov said that the fire was extinguished and various versions of the causes of the fire were being investigated.
“Thank God there are no casualties or injuries, the fire is localized. Everything went well, people were evacuated from the building on time. “It will become clear what happened, various versions are being worked on,” said Zyazikov, who was at the scene.
Rossotrudnichestvo head Yevgeny Primakov told RIA Novosti that if the information about the Molotov cocktail is confirmed, the incident will be considered a terrorist attack.