Ukrainian Foreign Minister Tells CNN Diplomats Are Being Targeted with ‘Explosives, Eyeballs of Cows and Pigs’

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba revealed to CNN on Friday that there have been 17 instances of diplomats being targeted with threatening letters, that disturbingly contained explosives and animal parts.

CNN senior international correspondent Matthew Chance caught up with the foreign minister, who said the packages sent to various embassies included at least one eyeball sent to a diplomat was identified as that of a pig, while another was identified as coming from a cow.

“We started receiving letters with eyes, animal eyes cut off,” he said.

“Animal eyes?” Chance asked, shocked.

Kuleba said he believes either Russia itself or Russian sympathizers in Ukraine could be behind the threatening packages as Russia continues its invasion of Ukraine.

“Of course I feel tempted to name Russia straight away because first of all, you have to ask the question, who benefits from that? It’s definitely this campaign ia aimed at sowing fear and terrorizing Ukrainian diplomats,” he said.

Oleh Nikolenko, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, revealed on Friday that Kyiv embassies in Hungary, the Netherlands, Poland, Croatia, Italy, Austria are among the locations targeted thus far. An explosive was also recently sent to Ukraine’s Embassy in Madrid, where a security officer was injured. Nikolenko said the Ukrainian Embassy in the United States received a letter with a copy of an article critical of Ukraine amidst the other threats.

Kuleba referred to the packages as a “campaign of terror” in comments to CNN.

“We have reason to believe that there is a well-planned campaign of terror and intimidation of Ukrainian embassies and consulates,” he said. “Unable to stop Ukraine on the diplomatic front, they are trying to intimidate us.”

Watch above via CNN