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Anarchist group claims responsibility for embassy attack

An anarchist group has claimed responsibility for Monday's firebomb attack targeting the Russian embassy in Minsk but indicated that the incident had nothing to do with deteriorating relations between the two countries, BelaPAN reports.

A diplomat's car was burned after two firebombs were hurled into the embassy's territory late on August 30.

In a statement posted on http://www.belarus.indymedia.org and http://www.belarus.avtonom.org, the group said that the attack was a response to the Russian authorities' crackdown on activists protesting plans to build a new motorway through a forest north of Moscow.

"Our friends have been beaten up by mercenaries from among Nazis, the OMON [riot police] disperse and attack everyone, while threats, detentions and arrests have become the norm," the statement said.

"Our friends have to endure hardships in prison or live in fear of being sent to prison because they have stood up for the truth, the people, the right to a normal environment. But government officials and capitalists only care about kickbacks and profits, they don't care about what will be tomorrow and they are ready to nip in the bud any protest, any discontent through extremely tough measures."

The group said that "all mafia clans named 'the rulers of Belarus' and 'the rulers of Russia' are equally disgusting" to it. "This political bickering for power will bring nothing good to both countries' ordinary working people, one should not behave like lying politicos," the statement said.

The statement included a link to a video clip allegedly showing the firebomb attack.

When reached by BelaPAN on Thursday, the Minsk city police department declined to comment on the statement and the clip.

The Russian foreign ministry described the attack as an "outrageous act behind which one can see the intention by certain forces to hamper the embassy's normal operation and add elements of mistrust and tension to bilateral relations."

Speaking on August 31, Vladimir Zhirinovsky, vice speaker of Russia's State Duma (lower parliamentary chamber), branded the attack on the Russian embassy as the beginning of Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s presidential campaign.

"Something what occurred in Minsk at night, this attempt to set fire to our embassy and cause damage was the beginning of Lukashenka’s presidential campaign,” the nationalist politician said in televised comments. “Perhaps, it was not him who programmed this, but someone from his team. They decided to aggravate relations with Russia as much as possible and rally support for Lukashenka among patriots of Belarus to claim that Russia turned its back on Belarus, and to play the anti-Russian card.”

Mr. Lukashenka hit back on Wednesday, saying that such remarks can be made only by "scumbags and morons."

"The accusatory tone of the Kremlin's mouthpieces suggests that our law enforcement agencies must take a more attentive look at the incident," Mr. Lukashenka said.

"There was one attack, followed by a second one, followed by a third one through the media, unprecedented pressure in the economy. They probably wanted to bend the president over, but it is the other way round. They needed to look for other methods. It is most likely that Moscow probably needed this incident to show how [bad] are the government in Belarus and the president, who allegedly masterminded what they describe as a terror attack," he said.