The Russian embassy in Syrian capital of Damascus was shelled twice on Wednesday afternoon, Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement, calling it a provocation aimed at derailing peace settlement in the country.

It said a shell hit an inner yard of the embassy complex, while another shell landed near the diplomatic mission and did not explode. A statement by the ministry said the first shell hit the inner yard of the embassy complex at 1 p.m. local time (1000GMT), while the second one landed near the embassy building at 1.19 p.m. local time (1019GMT).

The ministry called the incident a "provocation of extremists that do not want peace in Syria".

This is not the first time the embassy has been shelled. On Oct. 28, two mortars shells had also hit the embassy compound.