It would not be true to say that the world of diplomacy has been rocked by two developments in the saga of the Russian embassy. They may help writers of farce more than screenwriters for James Bond.
Police have started an investigation into the attack on the embassy with a dead possum after the ambassador complained that protesters had lobbed the dead animal into the Russian compound.
And separately, the Russian embassy has made a formal complaint to the ACT government about the noise coming out of the air conditioning from the apartment block overlooking the diplomatic compound.
On the great possum investigation, ACT Policing said: "On Friday, June 9, ACT Policing received a report of an incident where a dead possum was allegedly thrown into a premises on Canberra Avenue, Griffith.
"Police understand the alleged incident occurred on Saturday, June 3, and are investigating the circumstances of the incident, including what offences may have been committed."
Anyone with helpful information should get in touch through the CrimeStoppers ACT website.
The Russian ambassador, Aleksey Pavlovsky, had said, "One of those guys who are paid to stage pro-Ukrainian rallies off our compound in Canberra Avenue, choosing a moment when police were not around, threw a dead possum body over the fence to the embassy territory."
Protesters (who said they weren't paid to protest) have already conceded that the possum attack happened.
"It was unfortunate that someone let their passion get carried away," Marusya Jacyshyn, one of the coordinators of Friends of Ukraine, said.
She said she had urged protesters to behave well.
And on the second development, the embassy has made a formal complaint to the ACT government about the noise coming out of the air-conditioning outlet from the neighbouring apartment block.
This is the block which Russian diplomats told The Canberra Times offered Australian espionage agents - spies - a perfect view of their compound.
As you would expect, secrecy is being maintained. The only detail is that the complaint is AC-00673351 on the ACT government's books.
(By the way, Russian diplomats also say they have been spied on from the funeral parlour on the other side of Canberra Avenue but that's old hat. The undertakers deny all knowledge of what goes on upstairs.)
For the noise complaint, the Russians monitored the sound level at the fence between the embassy and the private apartment block, and recorded a roar of greater than 80 decibels.
That level of noise is similar to a busy road with heavy traffic or a noisy restaurant or public places like an airport or a train station.
The World Health Organisation describes 80 decibels as the threshold of loudness above which hearing can be affected.
"You can safely listen to a sound level of 80dB for up to 40 hours a week. If the sound level is 90dB, the safe listening time reduces to four hours per week," the WHO said.
The Russians believe the noise is unacceptable because the grill from which it emanates is right by the new accommodation block being built inside the embassy compound.
There has been a dispute over the accommodation and its construction. The Russians say it's for diplomats who currently rent outside the compound. Some outside critics say all the construction is to expand the embassy's own espionage and eavesdropping abilities.
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