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No proof that Moscow was involved in 2014 explosions at Vrbetice munitions depots - Zeman

Czech President also made critical remarks about Michal Koudelka, acting head of the counter-intelligence Security Information Service

Czech Republic's President Milos Zeman EPA-EFE/KOCA SULEJMANOVIC

Czech Republic's President Milos Zeman

© EPA-EFE/KOCA SULEJMANOVIC

PRAGUE, February 6./TASS/. The Czech Security Information Service has no proof that Russian intelligence agents got into the territory of munitions depots in Vrbetice (east of the Czech Republic), where explosions occurred in 2014, after which Czech authorities alleged that Moscow had been involved, Czech President Milos Zeman said in an interview with CNN Prima News on Sunday.

"The Security Information Service has no evidence or witnesses to say that Russian agents were on the territory of the [military] depots in Vrbetice," the president said.

Zeman also made critical remarks about Michal Koudelka, acting head of the counter-intelligence Security Information Service. According to local media, he will be shortly approved for the post by the Czech government.

On April 17, 2021, Czech authorities claimed that Moscow was allegedly involved in explosions at the ammo storage facility in the village of Vrbetice that resulted in two deaths. The Czech Republic expelled 18 Russian diplomats after that. The Russian Foreign Ministry lodged a strong protest over this step taken "under conjured-up and ungrounded pretexts" and declared 20 employees of the Czech Embassy in Moscow personae non gratae.

On May 14, 2021, the official internet portal of legal information published a list of unfriendly foreign countries, approved by the Russian government. It included only the United States and the Czech Republic.

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