Russia is expelling 20 Czech diplomats from the country in response to similar actions by the Czech Republic, the BBC reported.
The Czech Republic expelled 18 Russian diplomats, suspecting them of organizing the explosions of an ammunition depot in Vrbetica in 2014, where weapons intended to be sent to Ukraine were stored. The security and information service of the Czech Republic considers the GRU agents Alexander Mishkin and Anatoly Chepig to be involved in the incident. The explosions killed two people. The Czech Republic gave diplomats 72 hours to leave the republic. According to the Czech authorities, the expelled Russian diplomats are in fact members of the special services. The foreign ministers of the EU countries intend to consider the accusations of the Czech side. The press service of the Russian Foreign Ministry called Prague’s actions unprecedented.