Vietnam has summoned Ukrainian ambassador Aleksei Shovkoplias over a raid conducted in a Vietnamese neighbourhood in Ukraine’s southern city of Odessa.

The operation, which occurred on Monday at about 3 pm local time, was carried out by Ukrainian staff of the Prosecutor’s office, the Odessa Police website reports.

According to the news website Timer, some ten cars and two vans with armed men broke down a gate in the residential complex of Lotus Village on Grushevskogo street.

They reportedly began breaking into apartments to grab money and valuables. Anyone who resisted was assaulted.

The Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs met with the Ukrainian diplomat on Tuesday to request he send his report on the case.

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Vu Hong Nam, said the incident was serious and asked that Ukraine tighten its security measures to protect the Vietnamese residents.

The Ukrainian envoy to Vietnam agreed to send his report immediately and update information on the case soon.

Meanwhile, representatives of the Vietnamese community gathered at the Odessa Prosecutor’s Office on Tuesday to demand that the perpetrators be punished.

According to the Odessa Times, victims claimed they had at least half a million dollars in cash and assets taken away from them.

The deputy governor of Odessa, Salomia Bobrovskaya, has apologised to the Vietnamese community in the city for the raids on their houses.

– TiVi Tuan-san