One staff member has been injured following reports of a blast detonating at Ukraine’s embassy in Madrid.
Police, who stressed that detectives are still investigating the incident, indicated Ukraine’s Ambassador Sergi Pohoreltsev, to whom the package was addressed, was the likely target. During a procedural inspection of postage parcels, a member of Ukraine’s diplomatic legation suffered minor injuries when the package detonated. According to local officials, those injuries were light enough for the victim to transport himself to a local hospital for treatment.
A second bomb was delivered to arms manufacturer Instalaza at their Zaragoza office. That package was not opened as intended — Instalaza’s security team deemed the package suspicious and contacted the civil guard — and the Spanish law enforcement officers detonated it safely upon their arrival.
At this time, it is unclear whether the packages contained explosive material or some form of incendiary powder designed to ignite when the package was opened.
While Spanish officials have been hesitant to lay the blame on any party prematurely, El Pais, Madrid’s largest newspaper, has confirmed that the initial theory is that the war in Ukraine is the likely motive. The Spanish daily cited Instalaza’s involvement in the manufacture of grenade launchers that were sent to Ukraine for its war effort:
The researchers are analyzing the connections between the two shipments and their supposed relationship with the current situation in the Central European country, invaded by Russia since February 24 and the scene of a war that has lasted nine months. In fact, Instalaza is the manufacturer of the grenade launchers that the Ministry of Defense sent to the government of Volodímir Zelenski shortly after the outbreak of the conflict as part of the military aid. The double event has triggered alerts in the Ministry of the Interior in case new shipments are received.
Spain’s national scientific police, a law enforcement branch tasked with identifying fingerprints, DNA, and other biological evidence is currently reviewing recovered material to determine its origin and sender, who did not leave a return address but addressed the package with a handwritten label.
Ukraine has ordered that the security protocols at their diplomatic missions be heightened following the incident in Madrid and are urging Spanish investigators to determine the parties responsible for the act.
