Czech MPs called on the government of the republic to demand compensation from Moscow for the incident in Vrbetica in 2014, when explosions occurred at local ammunition depots.

This is stated in the material published on the website of the Czech Television.

Let us remind you that Prague believes that the Russian special services were allegedly involved in the incident. 

The article is devoted to the discussion in the Chamber of Deputies (lower house of parliament) of the situation around the events of 2014.

Czech Prime Minister Andrei Babis stated that the incident in Vrbetica became "an absolutely unacceptable terrorist act."

Among other things, Czech MPs believe that Moscow should pay compensation for the "inflicted" damage.

At the same time, Babish previously reported that the country's Ministry of Finance was preparing a suit.

According to him, the damage caused exceeds 1 billion kroons (about $ 46 million).

Also, the parliamentarians spoke in favor of a further reduction in the number of employees of the Russian Embassy in Prague.

According to the Czech Foreign Ministry, at the moment the staff of the Russian diplomatic mission consists of 27 diplomats and 67 technical staff, while the Czech embassy in Moscow has 5 diplomats and 19 technical staff.

According to Seznam, citing sources, on Wednesday, April 21, Czech President Milos Zeman will appoint Jakub Kulganek to the post of foreign minister, after which he will announce the expulsion of diplomats from Russia.

At the same time, the "purge in the ranks" of the Russian diplomatic mission will not affect Ambassador Alexander Zmeevsky.

In addition, the newspaper Mlada fronta Dnes indicates that the deputies of the Czech Republic demanded to exclude the involvement of companies from Russia in the implementation of projects for the construction of strategic infrastructure facilities, reports TASS.

In particular, we are talking about the construction of a new power unit at the Dukovany NPP.

In addition, as follows from the messages of the Czech Foreign Ministry and the NATO press service, on Thursday, April 22, a meeting of the North Atlantic Alliance Council will be held for the second time in a week - First Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic, Interior Minister Jan Hamacek will speak at it.

During the meeting, Prague intends to discuss further possible steps of the allies in the bloc in connection with the current situation.

"The Czech authorities are making outrageous decisions"

Sergei Tsekov, a member of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs, believes that the Czech authorities will regret the current unjustified actions against Russia in the future.

“They make outrageous decisions - the Czech government, the Foreign Ministry, and the parliament.

This causes not just bewilderment, but indignation.

Some unfounded statements, accusations against us are completely absurd and unwise.

On the basis of this, diplomats are expelled, and now they are also going to demand compensation ... I think that the toughest responses to their actions will follow.

I think they will regret it more than once: both they and those who will lead the Czech Republic after them, "the senator said in an interview with RT.

In turn, the director of the Institute of Contemporary State Development (St. Petersburg) Dmitry Solonnikov suggested that the growing tension in Russian-Czech relations could lead to the closure of diplomatic missions in both states.

“Czech politicians will continue this direction, now they have nowhere to go. The question is what they originally counted on: a one-time gesture or a reduction in the relationship. Now they have become hostages of the prevailing precedent: their steps and Russian retaliatory steps - now this loop will twist, and there is no getting away from it. After the harsh expulsion of Czech diplomats from Russia, they will insist on a response from their side, and relations between the two countries will be dragged into this funnel ... Most likely, we will come to the conclusion that diplomatic missions will be closed in both countries, "the interlocutor of RT explained.

It should be reminded that on April 17, Prague accused Russian intelligence of "involvement" in the explosions at the ammunition depot in Vrbetica in 2014.

Among the perpetrators of the incident seven years ago were the Russians Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov, who were allegedly in October 2014 on the territory of the republic.

Full interview with Czech Foreign Minister @jhamacek on alleged Salisbury spy poisoners who are accused of blowing up a Czech ammunition depot by mistake - they'd apparently only meant to hit a shipment of ammo bound for Bulgaria once it left Czech soil 👇https: / /t.co/0ppExD0ck5

- Deborah Haynes (@haynesdeborah) April 19, 2021

Note that, despite the accusations made, the Czech side refused to disclose the details of the investigation into the 2014 incident.

“I saw a statement by the Czech Foreign Minister, who said that Prague did not intend to disclose to Moscow all the details of the investigation into the explosions at the warehouse.

Comrades, this is proof that this whole story is a fictitious, dirty, disgusting fake, ”Maria Zakharova, an official representative of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, commented on this decision. 

On the same day, the Czech Republic declared 18 Russian diplomats persona non grata, demanding that they leave the country within 48 hours.

Russia, in retaliation, announced the expulsion from Moscow of 20 employees of the Czech diplomatic mission.

“The political establishment of the Czech Republic is just lying.

And for several days we have heard so many lies and contradictory versions that, frankly, I don’t remember anything like that in modern history, ”Zakharova said on April 20 on the air of the RBK channel.