Ukrainian Embassy in Madrid Receives Bloody Package Containing Animal Eyes

Spanish policemen guarding the area around Madrid’s Ukrainian Embassy on Nov. 30. Photo: AFP/Lehtikuva

The Ukrainian Embassy in Madrid received a “bloody package” containing animal eyes last Friday, Dec. 2, after receiving a letter bomb earlier that week. 

Spanish police immediately roped off the area for the investigation, using sniffer dogs as a means to figure out if the area was still under threat. According to Oleg Nikolenko, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, similar packages (soaked in an unidentified liquid and bearing a strange odor) were mailed to locations besides Madrid: specifically, Ukrainian embassies in Hungary, Italy, Croatia, the Netherlands, and Poland. 

As of yet, the senders haven’t been properly identified, though Nikolenko has said that Ukrainian officials are actively “studying the meaning of this message” and that a few of the packages sent across Europe bear a return address. Other clear threats Ukrainian representatives have faced in recent times include the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington receiving a photocopy of a critical article about Ukraine, as well as the entrance, staircases, and walls of the residence of the Vatican’s Ukrainian ambassador being smeared with excrement in an act of vandalization.

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has himself commented on the situation and termed it a “well-planned campaign of terror and intimidation” but the country is intentionally refraining from naming Russia as the force behind the letters (though it has hinted at the fact).

In terms of letter bombs, this tactic has especially been targeting key offices in Spain in late November and early December– including that of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. The aforementioned one sent to the Ukrainian Embassy in Madrid exploded in the hands of an employee on Nov. 30, leaving a mild injury. The next day, a letter bomb was also discovered at the US Embassy in Madrid. No other related injuries have been reported as of yet.

The Vatican’s Ukrainian Ambassador Andriy Yurash pictured with the Pope. Photo: AFP/Vatican Media

The unofficial line of rhetoric has been that Spain is of particular interest to the “mystery sender” because of its support for Ukraine. In the past month, for instance, Spain’s Defense Minister Margarita Robles vowed to send “six HAWK air defense systems to Ukraine” to help its effort in repelling the Russian invasion; since February, Spain has also played a significant role in granting temporary protection to Ukrainian refugees.

Notably, Russia has earlier made it clear that it finds outward acts of terrorist activity reprehensible and unacceptable. The Russian Embassy in Spain even put out a tweet on Dec. 1 condemning the threats and acts of terrorism.

After the letter bomb and bloody package incidents, Spain has worked to immediately tighten security forces around government buildings across the country. Dmytro Kuleba has also ordered that all embassies to Kyiv strengthen their security “urgently.” 

Yet another Spanish location which received an explosive device in an envelope recently is the headquarters of Instalaza, a Spanish weapons manufacturing company, in Zaragoza. The parcel was addressed to the factory director and had a return address precisely matching that of the package delivered to Madrid’s Ukrainian Embassy. 

Instalaza makes the C90 rocket launcher, which Spain has shipped to Ukraine to further aid its war efforts, in addition to the promised HAWK defense systems.