Russia said today it would retaliate against any punitive measures taken by the Czech republic at the expense of Russian diplomats while the espionage dispute between the two countries threatens to escalate with a new round of deportations, reports APE.
Russia deports 20 Czech diplomats Sunday after Prague deports 18 Russians one day earlier. Yesterday, Wednesday, the Czech Republic asked Moscow to allow the return of all 20 of its officials to Moscow until today, otherwise it will face further deportations of diplomats from Prague.
The conflict is the most intense between the two countries since the end of the communist period in 1989 and comes at a time of high tension in Russia’s relations with the West. At the same time, it has led NATO and the European Union to express their support for the Czech Republic, which is a member of both blocs.
“The Allies express their deep concern at the ongoing destabilizing action by Russia in the Euro-Atlantic area, including on allied territory, and stand in full solidarity with the Czech Republic,” the NATO Alliance said in a statement.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peshkov said Moscow had a negative view of Prague’s “hysteria”.
Last week, Moscow also deported diplomats from Bulgaria, Poland and the United States in retaliation for the deportation of its own officials.
“Appropriate answer”
President Vladimir Putin warned foreign powers on Wednesday not to violate Russia’s “red lines” in a speech on the state of the nation, saying Moscow would make them regret it.
The Czechs said the loss of 20 of their staff effectively paralyzed their embassy in Moscow, which is much smaller than the Russian mission in Prague.
Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, accused the Czech authorities of making a ‘show’ and vowed that Moscow would retaliate if Prague took further action against Russian diplomats.
“If (we are) in the course of a confrontation chosen by Prague, then there will be an appropriate response,” Zakharova told Govorit Moskva radio station, according to the RIA news agency.
Prague has deported 18 Russians it identified as intelligence officials after claiming that two Russian spies accused of poisoning with a neurotoxic agent in Britain in 2018 were the people behind a deadly explosion at a Czech ammunition depot three years ago.
Russia has denied the allegations, which the Kremlin has called “provocative and unfriendly.” Zakharova said Prague had not substantiated its allegations of Russian involvement in the blast.
The comments came a day after she said the Russian Foreign Ministry would call the Czech ambassador again today.
The two suspects named by Prague, known as Ruslan Bosirov and Alexander Petrov, are said to be members of the elite unit 29155 of the Russian military intelligence service GRU.
Britain has indicted them in absentia for attempted murder following the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter with the neurotoxic agent Novichok in the English city of Salisbury in 2018.
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