Russian Foreign Ministry Evacuated Over Bomb Threat

Employees of the Russian Foreign Ministry are being evacuated from the building in the center of Moscow after an anonymous phone call alleging a threat of explosion.

"After an anonymous bomb threat in the building of Russian Foreign Ministry located at Smolenskaya-Sennaya st. 32/1, evacuation of all staff is under way," a source in Moscow emergency services reported. The source added that there was no immediate information on how many people were evacuated from the building.

According to several other sources, some 40 people were evacuated from the building. A Sputnik correspondent reported that emergency services and the law enforcement units are present at the site.

A source in Russian Foreign Ministry has confirmed the reports of the evacuation. "It appears that a report came in of a bomb threat at the first building," it said.

A wave of anonymous mass phone calls started in Russia in September, leading to over 2.3 million people having been evacuated in 186 cities across the country. Bombs were reported by the callers to have been "planted" in some 3,500 buildings. All of the threats have proven to be false alarms.

In December, the Russian Interior Ministry characterized such actions as a cyberattack that was being carried out from abroad.