Prague online publication Seznam Zpráv published a material about a conversation with the acting head of the Rossotrudnichestvo representative office in the Czech Republic Andrei Viktorovich Konchakov.
The publication claims that he was the Russian diplomat who allegedly brought to the Czech Republic a “suitcase full of ricin poison” intended for Prague politicians responsible for dismantling the monument to Marshal Ivan Konev and renaming the square in front of the Russian embassy. At the same time, Konchakov himself in the commentary rejected these accusations.
Recall that the Czech publication Respekt made an accusation against Russia at the end of April. Referring to some unnamed sources, the publication said that in early April a man arrived in Prague with a Russian diplomatic passport, who was met by a car of the Russian diplomatic mission.
Allegedly, the diplomat brought with him ricin poison, which was intended for the headman of the metropolitan area of Praha 6, Ondrzej Kolář, who initiated the dismantling of the monument to Ivan Konev, as well as for the mayor of Prague, Zdeněk Grzhib, who decided to rename the square in front of the Russian embassy in honor of the Russian opposition Boris Nemtsov. Now both Czech politicians are under police protection.
“Great savagery is hard to come up with”
If the publication Respekt called the first days of April as the time of the diplomat’s arrival in Prague, then the publication Seznam Zpráv already appears on March 14th. It is this date that Konchakov called journalists. At the same time, he emphasized that he did indeed enter the Czech Republic that day, but in his suitcase he was carrying not at all ricin poison, but sweets and a disinfectant.
Although the “Russian spy” arrived in Prague on March 14, the Czech Security and Information Service (BIS) sent a report to the police about a possible threat to Prague politicians only on April 6.
- Dismantling the monument to Marshal Konev in Prague
- Reuters
- © David W Cerny / File
However, the poison was delivered to the Czech Republic on March 14, the publication insists. Journalists explain such a long gap between the arrival of dangerous poison in the country and the moment when Prague officials were transferred under police protection by the fact that in early April the Czech special services simply lost the opportunity to monitor Konchakov and control the situation.
At the same time, the Russian Embassy in Prague reported that the diplomatic mission officer was receiving threats against him.
“Because of the personal persecution of the Russian diplomat by the Czech media, threats began to come to him. In this regard, the embassy is also forced to turn to the Czech side for providing the officer with the diplomatic mission of the police guard, ”the embassy said.
As Vladimir Shapovalov, deputy director of the Institute of History and Politics of Moscow State Pedagogical University, noted in an interview with RT, such discrepancies in the dates cited by the Czech media indicate that this whole story is based on lies, and not on real facts.
“This confusion just indicates that this story is“ sewn with white thread. ” In general, it’s hard to think of more savagery, and I think that these journalists should be deprived of the right to carry out professional activities, since their publication is beyond its borders, ”the expert said in an interview with RT.
Note that, commenting on the publication of Respekt earlier, the Russian Embassy in the Czech Republic stated that since mid-March 2020, “not a single diplomatic staff of the Russian Embassy in the Czech Republic has arrived at the Prague airport”.
Earlier, the Russian embassy denied the accusations made against Russia by the Czech publication Respekt.
“The speculations contained in the publication have absolutely no basis whatsoever,” the diplomatic mission commented.
According to diplomats, an article about an allegedly impending assassination attempt on Czech politicians continued an information campaign to discredit Russia.
Speaking at a briefing on April 29, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called the accusations against the Russian side "painful fantasies."
“Here it is already impossible to criticize, describe or give any characteristic. This is a provocation bordering on painful delirium by those forces in the Czech Republic who want to damage Russian-Czech relations at any cost. As we understand, in order to achieve this goal they are ready for anything, ”Zakharova emphasized.
At the same time, neither the police nor the BIS want to officially comment on this story, says Seznam Zpráv. Citing sources, the publication writes that the police and special services have not yet asked any questions to Konchakov, who currently lives in Prague.
As the head of Rossotrudnichestvo, Eleonora Mitrofanova, said in an interview with RIA Novosti, the publication of the Czech media that Andrei Konchakov allegedly brought poison to the Czech Republic is “pure provocation”.
“This, of course, in its purest form is a provocation, a reaction to the situation with the demolition of the monument, in addition. There are forces that want to intensify this negative reaction, but not all of them are in the Czech Republic, ”he noted, adding that the Russian representative in the Czech Republic is well disposed towards this country and loves it.
Government neutrality
Czech authorities refrain from refuting or confirming information published in the media.
Commenting on the story of the accusations against Russia that were published by the media with reference to the special services, Czech President Milos Zeman criticized two of the existing special services. He stated that he trusted military intelligence most of all. She, in turn, did not provide any information about the impending assassination attempt, the president said.
In response to a question from the Czech edition of iDNES, is the media story about the “Russian spy” who allegedly arrived in the country with poison in a suitcase, the Czech Foreign Minister Tomas Petršicek said that he did not comment on “information leaks and media reports”.
- Tomas Petrzycek
- Reuters
- © Johanna Geron
“If we were able to prove that a diplomat of some other country is engaged in illegal things with us or threatens the security of our state, this would serve as a basis for his expulsion,” the minister emphasized, thus indirectly confirming the unproven information circulated in the media.
Speaking about why the elder Ondřej Kolář and the mayor of Prague, Zdeněk Grжib, received protection, the minister said that it was a “preventive measure”. The fact is that these politicians “have long received threats in their address, users on social networks and some foreign leaders spoke sharply about them,” the Foreign Minister explained.
Even the mayor of Prague, Zdenek Grzyb, taken under police protection, did not directly blame Moscow. As the official said in an interview with Deutsche Welle, he himself turned to the police with a statement back in early March. The reason for the appeal was the persecution of a man who "behaved in an unnatural way and did not look like the one who accidentally ended up in this place." His mayor of Prague was seen at his apartment when he was returning home from work.
“No, unfortunately, I can’t say anything about whether the Russian special services wanted to poison me with ricin,“ novice ”or polonium,” the official said.
As Radio Praha reported May 6, the parliamentary security committee heard presentations by Director of Security and Information (BIS) Michal Koudelka, Interior Minister Jan Gamachek and Police President Jan Schweidar, who commented on the publication of Respekt.
According to another Czech publication Deník N, the head of BIS told parliamentarians that the “Russian agent” is indeed capable of representing danger, but is in Prague, and the republic’s authorities have no plans to expel him from the country. Following the hearing, the parliamentary committee issued a resolution according to which the country's special services should respond to information about the possible arrival of a Russian agent with poison in his country.
Special Services Games
According to experts, the Czech authorities would not allow an agent of the Russian special services to be in Prague, which speaks of the far-fetched accusations made in a number of media.
“Why hasn't this“ agent ”been stopped at the entrance to the country if there were suspicions? This is a question. Therefore, we can say that now there is a propaganda game that has escalated after the dismantling of the monument to Marshal Konev. The Czech side is simply trying to portray itself injured after these events, which do not climb into any gates, ”noted Konstantin Voronov, head of the regional problems and conflicts department of the European Political Studies Department of IMEMO RAS, in an interview with RT.
- Parliament of the Czech Republic
- Reuters
- © David W Cerny
At the same time, serious Czech politicians do not want to support the accusations, since we are talking about very dubious material.
“The authorities do not want to get dirty about this story. In general, this scandal is likely to quickly come to naught, because the entire campaign is conducted only on rhetorical statements. In scale, this story is even impossible to compare with the “Skripals case,” the expert noted.
Speaking about the true causes of the “ricin scandal,” Konstantin Voronov drew attention to domestic political factors. According to the expert, this aspect cannot be written off.
“Due to such stories, a number of politicians of a certain kind raise their rating. I don’t think anyone is behind them, although they all operate within the framework of Euro-Atlantic relations, and this also cannot be discounted, ”the expert said.
According to Vladimir Shapovalov, the fact that the Czech Foreign Ministry does not declare the Russian diplomat persona non grata amid such accusations suggests that the accusations have no grounds.
“In my opinion, this whole story is a move made in order to change the agenda. Prague politicians committed a boorish act, removing a monument to the man who saved Prague. A significant part of society reacts negatively to this decision, and so they came up with a “Russian poisoner” who supposedly wants to kill someone in order to draw attention, ”the expert is sure.
A slightly different point of view is held by a member of the Scientific Council under the Security Council of Russia, Doctor of Political Sciences Andrei Manoilo. According to the expert,The initiator of this scandal is the Czech special services, which act in coordination with American and British colleagues.
“At the same time, Czech media are used as a channel for stuffing. In my opinion, this is the beginning of a large operational combination. The plot resembles the story with the Skripals, some poison appears again, a similar scenario unfolds. This is a way to revive the deceased was the myth that the Russian special services are allegedly involved in poisoning in Europe, ”the expert said in an interview with RT.
At the same time, in comparison with the history of Skripals, the Czech Republic uses a “much more primitive scenario”, which comes down to media statements.
“The Czech special services are far from being as prepared as the British. Such provocations have never been the main focus of their activities. Therefore, the simpler the combination, the better, especially if many people still believe this cliche. And the stories about the “Russian threat” have really turned into real clichés, after the scandal with the alleged “poisoning of the Skripals,” the expert summed up.