Australian Hazmat Team Inspecting'Unknown White Powder'Found Near Russian Embassy
Last week, Australia imposed a slew of new sanctions on Russia, shortly after Moscow began a special military operation in Ukraine aimed at demilitarising and "de-Nazifying" the nation. The operation followed a request for help from the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics, which saw weeks of ever-increasing shelling by the Ukrainian Army.
A local hazardous materials response (hazmat) team is inspecting envelopes with a "suspicious" substance sent to the Russian Embassy in the Australian capital Canberra earlier on Thursday, 9News has reported.
The Russian diplomatic mission told reporters that the hazmat unit arrived at the scene after two mysterious packages containing an "unknown white powder" were found outside the embassy.
The Australian Capital Territory Police (ACT) earlier confirmed in a statement that the "contents of the package are currently being assessed", adding that a "cordon" is now in place around the embassy and "the public is urged to avoid the area until further notice".
The developments followed Australia slapping new sanctions on Russia last Friday, with Prime Minister Scott Morrison pledging to work along with Canberra's partners to further "ratchet up pressure" on Moscow.
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https://sputniknews.com/20220303/australian-hazmat-team-inspecting-unknown-white-powder-found-near-russian-embassy-1093542310.html