MOSCOW, June 28. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova compared Prague’s demand of compensation of damages for the 2014 explosions at arms depots in Vrbetice to extortion.

"It impossible to understand what is going on in the heads of Czech politicians, who have been trying to come up with some new way to ruining the bilateral relations for months. And it is not necessary, really. They have written themselves in the list of unfriendly states themselves. And with every new wild statement and action, they only confirm their status," Zakharova wrote in her Telegram channel on Monday.

On Monday, the Mlada Fronta Dnes news website reported that Czech Deputy Foreign Minister Martin Smolek presented Russian Ambassador to Czechia Alexander Zmeyevsky with a note demanding full compensation of damages, caused by the Vrbetice explosions. Prague claims that the Russian intelligence was involved in the incident. According to the report, the Czech authorities estimate the damages at about 25.5 million euro. Smolek also told Zmeyevsky that Prague insists that its inclusion to the list of unfriendly states be reviewed. Later, Czech Foreign Ministry confirmed the report.

Zakarova noted that the ideologists of this chimera act in accordance with the Russian saying "to punish the innocent, to award the uninvolved".

"I would like to remember. Usually, those acting this way - demanding money without investigation or trial, by threats and insults - are called extortionists," the diplomat concluded.

On April 17, Prague claimed that Moscow is allegedly involved in the Vrbetice explosions, and expelled 18 Russian diplomats, calling them intelligence officers. Russian Foreign Ministry expressed it decisive protest over the step, made under a "groundless and contrived pretext," and expelled 20 Czech embassy employees. Zakharova noted at the time that Prague had had neither pretext nor evidence to accuse Russia of involvement in the Vrbetice incident.