E.U. diplomat assaulted during visit to Russian Far East — Der Spiegel

A European Union diplomat was assaulted in the Russian Far Eastern city of Vladivostok in late May, Der Spiegel reported on Tuesday, citing informed sources.

According to the outlet, the E.U. staffer was in Vladivostok on a work trip. Around 7:00 a.m. on May 26, she left her hotel for a walk. Shortly afterward, a car pulled up beside her and two men got out. They threatened her, then physically attacked her.

The woman’s name has not been disclosed, but she is reportedly a Romanian citizen. She was accompanied by a French colleague, and the two had planned to visit E.U. consulates in the city. Following the assault, she was evacuated from Russia. Her current condition is unknown.

The diplomat is believed to be a colleague of Jocelyn Guitton, head of the E.U. mission’s press and political section in Russia. According to Mediazona, Guitton was in the Russian Far East in late May. During his visit, he was followed at airports in Khabarovsk and Vladivostok by TV crews from local pro-government outlets, along with dozens of men holding signs and shouting “You’re sponsoring fascists.” Local state media branded Guitton a “diehard nationalist” who “hates everything Russian,” and the outlet Vesti Primorye suggested his movements were being monitored.

European Commission spokesperson Anitta Hipper confirmed the attack but declined to provide further details. She said that Russia’s representative in Belgium had been summoned for clarification.

The assailants’ identities remain unknown, but some European diplomats suspect they may have been Russian security operatives. Der Spiegel notes that while the FSB routinely monitors Western diplomats in Russia, physically assaulting one marks a new escalation in already tense relations between Moscow and the West.