China News Service, April 20. According to the Russian Satellite Network, on the 19th, Czech’s First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior Jan Hamacek stated at a press conference that after 20 diplomats were expelled, the Czech Republic was stationed in Moscow. The work of the embassy was almost paralyzed.
According to him, 20 diplomats were expelled, and there were only about 30 diplomats in the embassy, which "paralyzed the work of the embassy."
Hamachek said at a press conference, “Only the Consular Department is still working. The Political Department and the Economic Department have been closed. This is a huge blow to the embassy.”
He said that it is possible to send diplomats from consulates in other Russian cities to the embassy in Moscow.
Czech Prime Minister Andrei Babis previously stated that the government suspected that Russian special forces were involved in the 2014 bombing of the Vbetica ammunition depot.
First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Hamachek said that 18 Russian diplomats will be expelled.
Russia announced on the 18th that because its diplomats were expelled from Prague, Russia will take retaliatory measures.
The Czech ambassador to Russia Viteslav Pivonka, who was summoned to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was told that 20 Czech embassy personnel were declared unwelcome and must leave the country within 24 hours.
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized that the claim that Russian special forces were involved in the Fbetica bombing is absurd, baseless, and hypothetical.