PRAGUE (AP) – The Czech Republic announced on Saturday that it was expelling 18 Russian diplomats it identified as spies in a case involving a major munitions explosion in 2014.
Prime Minister Andrej Babis said the move was based on “unequivocal evidence” provided by the Czech intelligence and security services, indicating the involvement of Russian military agents in the massive explosion in an eastern city that “two innocent fathers’.
“The Czech Republic is a sovereign state and must respond adequately to the unprecedented findings,” Babis said.
Interior Minister Jan Hamacek, who also serves as the country’s foreign minister, said the 18 Russian embassy staff members had been clearly identified as spies from the Russian intelligence services known as GRU and SVR and that they had been ordered to to leave the country within 48 hours.
The blast, which took place on October 16, 2014 in a depot in the town of Vrbetice where 50 tons of ammunition were stored, claimed two victims. Another explosion of 13 tons of ammunition took place on December 3 of the same year in the depot.
Hundreds had to be evacuated from nearby towns after the blasts.
“The United States stands with its steadfast ally, the Czech Republic,” said Jennifer Bachus, Chargé d’affaires at the US Embassy in Prague. “We appreciate their important action to impose on Russia for its dangerous actions on Czech soil.”
The Czech announcement comes two days after the US said it was expelling ten Russian diplomats and imposing sanctions on several dozen people and companies, holding the Kremlin responsible for interfering in last year’s presidential election and the break-in of federal agencies.
Babis said President Milos Zeman, known for his pro-Russian views, had been briefed on the development and that he had “expressed absolute support for us”.
He said the investigation into the case had not yet been completed, but thanked the country’s security forces for their ‘professional work’.
The announcement sent a shockwave across the country, with politicians from government parties and opposition united in condemning the Russian move.
“This is an act of state terrorism,” said Petr Fiala, leader of the opposition Democratic Party.
Jiri Sedivy, former chief of the Czech army’s general staff, said the Czechs should respond “resolutely” to the Russian actions.
“It was an obvious military attack on our sovereign territory,” Sedivy told Czech public television.
Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, said her country would respond to the Czech move.
“Prague is well aware of what such tricks will follow,” Zakharova was quoted as saying by RIA Novosti news agency.
Hamacek said the case would significantly harm relations between the Czech Republic and Russia. He said the country’s allies in NATO and the European Union had been informed of the findings and “we have asked for their support.”
“We are in a similar situation as Britain in the attempted poisoning in Salisbury in 2018,” Hamacek said without elaborating.
Britain has expelled dozens of Russian diplomats after Russian agents used a Soviet-era nerve agent to poison a former Russian spy and his daughter who lived in the English city of Salisbury.
At the same time, between 11 October and 16 October, the Czech police’s organized crime unit published photos of two foreign nationals visiting the country, including the Zlin region where Vrbetice is located, and asked the public for any information. about them.
The two used Russian passports and were identified as Alexander Petrov (41) and Ruslan Boshirov (43). Petrov and Boshirov were charged in absentia in 2018 for trying to kill former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, with the Soviets. nerve agent Novichok.
Czech police said the two men also used passports issued by Moldova for Nicolai Popa and a passport issued by Tajikistan for Ruslan Tabarov.
They said the two also visited the capital of Prague and another northeastern Czech region.