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Russian agency challenges Prague’s ‘contradicting’ statements over expelled envoys

On June 5, the Czech Foreign Ministry notified the Russian embassy of Prague’s decision to expel two embassy employees

MOSCOW, June 8./TASS/. Statements from Czech officials concerning the two Russian diplomats that had been recently expelled from Prague are conflicting, Deputy Head of Russia’s Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States Affairs, Compatriots Living Abroad, and International Humanitarian Cooperation Mikhail Bryukhanov told Russia-1 television on Monday.

"There is no logic whatsoever in this story. Statements by Czech members of political circles and government agencies have been contradicting each other," he noted.

Bryukhanov reiterated that Czech Minister of the Interior Jan Hamacek had stated that the Czech intelligence services had no evidence of illegal activity by any Russian diplomat. "After that they cite some ‘secrecy’ and present us with their own version that somebody had been making denunciations, which is why both [diplomats] were expelled. Pardon me, colleagues, but where is the logic? The intelligence service must have been glad if someone was making denunciations. Why the expulsion? Ok, read, study and analyze… Very odd actions," he added.

Bryukhanov noted that the dispute erupted back in April, with a Czech intelligence leak to the Respekt magazine claiming that a certain Russian diplomat had arrived in Prague with toxins. "The Czech Republic got alarmed back then that the story leaking from the intelligence service became publicly available, and turned into a hot topic that was widely talked about. As I understand, the authorities had no plans to make it public," he said.

"My impression is that they had no intention whatsoever. Everything was unfolding very spontaneously, with a scandal and in favor of some third party. It is very difficult to call this activity a plan," he stressed.

On June 5, the Czech Foreign Ministry notified the Russian embassy of Prague’s decision to expel two embassy employees. Before that, Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis told a news conference that two Russian diplomats had been declared personae-non-grata. According to him, media reports of a Russian diplomat bringing ricin, a highly potent toxin, into the country, which was allegedly meant for those behind the demolition of the monument to WWII Soviet Marshal Ivan Konev in Prague, turned out to be a total fabrication. Babis said the ricin scandal followed a false signal from a Russian embassy employee to the Czech counterintelligence services about an alleged plot against some Czech officials, raising tensions between the two countries.

The Russian Foreign Ministry warned that Prague’s actions would be met with an adequate response and that those moves would be taken into account when Moscow charts its foreign policy towards the Czech Republic.