A fire broke out at a Russian cultural center in Nicosia, Cyprus on Wednesday, causing extensive damage. The Russian Foreign Ministry says the fire was likely caused by arson, following earlier statements by site officials that the “terrorist act” was caused by a Molotov cocktail thrown into the building.
Alina Radchenko, the center’s manager, told Russia’s state-run Tass news agency that “two loud explosions” could be heard before the fire broke out and witnesses reported seeing “molotov cocktails thrown in the building”.
Yevgeny Primakov, the head of Rossotrudnichestvo, the Russian government’s cultural promotion agency, wrote on his Telegram channel that the fire was “a terrorist act”. He said: “I am sure that the terrorists were supporters of the kyiv regime, most likely among the Ukrainians who now live in Cyprus.”
However, a fire department spokesman said Thursday that no Molotov cocktails were found in the wreckage and the cause of the fire was still under investigation. The Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed that there were no deaths or injuries.
Earlier this week, a Russian missile strike destroyed the Museum of Local History in Kupyansk, a strategic town in the Kharkiv region of eastern Ukraine. The museum’s director, Iryna Osadcha, and another employee, Olena Vodopianova, were killed in the attack.
Olha Soshnikova, director of the Sumtsov Kharkiv Historical Museum, said on Facebook: “Iryna Anatoliivna did everything possible to make the museum one of the best in Kharkiv during her tenure as director. After the liberation of Kupyansk, she continued to work to save our cultural heritage. She took care of the museum and its staff until her last moments.”
She added: “Under his leadership, the museum was one of the best in the Kharkiv region, it was the center of cultural life in Kupyansk.”
