Contents tagged with czech republic

  • Czech Republic to expel 70 more Russian Embassy employees

    The Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Prague was going to reduce the number of employees of the Russian Embassy in Prague to match the size of the Czech diplomatic mission in Moscow, said the Ministry’s representatives at a press conference.

    Twenty-two Russian diplomats and 48 embassy staff will be expelled from the Czech Republic. Thus, the number of the Russian diplomatic mission will be equal to the Czech: 5 diplomats and 9 administrative personnel.

    The decision was taken by …

  • Lithuania prepares to expel Russian diplomats

    Lithuanian authorities are currently discussing with NATO allies the possibility of expelling Russian diplomats from the embassy in Vilnius in solidarity with the Czech Republic, Political Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Asta Skaisgiryte said on LRT radio.

    "We are currently discussing this with our allies," she said.

    According to her, the Lithuanian authorities support this idea. "Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda fully supports the Czech Republic's efforts to …

  • Prague pressures Kremlin to allow return of 70 Czech diplomats to Russia

    Czech Foreign Minister Jakub Kulhanek protested against the expulsion of 20 Czech embassy employees from Moscow and demanded that all of them be returned to the diplomatic mission.

    Prague awaits Moscow's decision until 12:00 (13:00 GMT) Thursday, April 22, Czech Foreign Minister told reporters.

    "All expelled employees of the Czech Embassy must be allowed to come back to Moscow. A decision is expected by 12:00 On Thursday. If it is not taken, we will proceed with the option of bringing the …

  • Russia expels 20 Czech diplomats

    Moscow has declared 20 employees of the Czech Embassy in Russia persona non grata in response to Prague’s decision to expel 18 Russian diplomats because of their involvement in an explosion of an ammunition depot.

    The day before, on April 18, Czech Ambassador Vitezslav Pivonka was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry and handed over a note. According to media reports, he stayed in the Russian Foreign Ministry building for about 20 minutes.

    "The Russian Foreign Ministry strongly protested …

  • Czech Republic expels 18 Russian diplomats over involvement in ammunition depot explosion

    The Czech Foreign Ministry announced that it is expelling 18 Russian diplomats. They are accused of working for the Russian special services, reported Novinky, citing the country's Interior Minister, Jan Gamachek.

    According to Gamachek, these people were identified as employees of the Russian Military Intelligence Directorate (GRU) and the Foreign Intelligence Service. The diplomats were given 48 hours to leave the Czech Republic.

    The authorities in Prague made this decision, as they came to …

  • Czech Republic expels two Russian Embassy employees over poison plot hoax

    The Czech Republic has declared two employees of the Russian Embassy persona non grata, announced Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš at a press conference.

    According to him, this decision was made after the media reported that the Russian diplomat brought poison from Russia to Prague. Babiš called the information a "false incident."

    "One [Russian] embassy employee sent deliberately made-up information about a planned attack on Czech politicians to BIS [Security Information Service]," he said. …

  • Czech police take under special protection Russian diplomat who is suspected of bringing poison to Prague

    Czech police have taken under the special protection Russian diplomat Andrei Konchakov, reported Denik N, citing its own sources.

    According to the Russian Embassy, Konchakov began receiving threats after he was named by media as the special agent who came to Prague with deadly poison in his luggage.

    According to the newspaper, during the day the police guard the Russian Center for Science and Culture, headed by Konchakov. And at night the guards move to the building of the Russian Embassy, …

  • Czech media names Russian suspected in poisoning attempt of Prague officials

    The man, whom the Czech special services suspect of delivering ricin poison to Prague to poison municipal politicians, is Andrei K., reports Seznam Spravy. According to Seznam Spravy, the man leads the "diplomatic representation of one of the Russian federal agencies" in the republic.

    On April 26, the newspaper Respekt reported that a Russian man with a diplomatic passport arrived in the Czech Republic carrying ricin. The newspaper claimed, citing its sources, that the man wanted to poison the …

  • Czech media: Russian special agent with deadly poison arrived in Prague amid dispute with Moscow over Marshal Konev monument

    A Russian special agent arrived in Prague three weeks ago after a monument to Soviet Marshal Ivan Konev was demolished, reported the Czech publication Respekt.

    The special agent arrived at Vaclav Havel airport from Russia. He had a Russian diplomatic passport. A car of the Russian diplomatic corps was waiting for him and took him to the Russian embassy. Sources of Respect claim that the person traveled with a briefcase in which he supposedly had deadly poison ricin. Czech Security services …

  • Prague Mayor under police protection amid dispute with Moscow over demolition of Marshal Konev monument

    Czech police has provided special protection to the city mayor, Zdeněk Hřib, the mayor of Prague’s Řeporyje district Pavel Novotný and the mayor of Prague 6 district Ondřej Kolář. The latter was the initiator of the dismantling of the monument to the Soviet Army Marshal Ivan Konev.

    According to the Czech weekly Respekt, officials fear Moscow's retaliation both for the demolition of the memorial and for the renaming of Pod Kastany Namesti (Under Chestnuts Square) to Boris Nemtsov Square, where …