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Kremlin slams Prague’s ‘inflammatory’ conclusions about Moscow’s ‘link’ to Vrbetice blast

On April 17, Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis and Acting Foreign Minister Jan Hamacek announced the expulsion of 18 employees of the Russian Embassy in Prague, who, according to the Czech authorities, are "officers of Russia’s SVR and GRU intelligence agencies"

Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov Vitaly Nevar/TASS

Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov

© Vitaly Nevar/TASS

MOSCOW, April 19. /TASS/. The Kremlin strongly disagrees with the Czech Republic’s conclusions about the alleged involvement of Russian intelligence agencies in the ammunition depot blast that occurred in the eastern Czech village of Vrbetice in 2014, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday.

"We strongly disagree with these conclusions, which we consider to be inflammatory and unfriendly," he said in response to a question.

On April 17, Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis and Acting Foreign Minister Jan Hamacek announced the expulsion of 18 employees of the Russian Embassy in Prague, who, according to the Czech authorities, are "officers of Russia’s SVR and GRU intelligence agencies." The Czech Republic claimed that newly discovered circumstances related to the Vrbetice explosion were the reason. The Russian Foreign Ministry protested against the move that Prague had taken "under false pretenses," and declared 20 employees of the Czech Embassy in Moscow personae non grata.

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