"At about 1:30 p.m. [local time, 10:30 GMT], we heard two bangs. They were not connected with anything, then it turned out that our building caught fire. The fire was strong. According to eyewitnesses, most likely, something was thrown into the center's building itself," Radchenko said.
The fire caused great damage, as a whole wall, roof and materials burned down, the RCSC's head said, noting that it has been put out and police are working at the scene.
Rossotrudnichestvo, Russian humanitarian cooperation agency, latter said via its Telegram channel "Russian House" that it views the incident as an arson attempt and a terrorist attack. The body cited eyewitnesses saying that Molotov cocktails were thrown at the building.
The wall where the huge Russian flag was placed was damaged and the flag was burnt down, the agency stated. The head of the RCSC in Nicosia, Alina Radchenko, specified that at the moment the fire has been extinguished and there are no casualties.