Moscow will respond to the Czech Republic's decision to reduce the staff of the Russian embassy in Prague.

This was stated by the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova.

During the briefing, the representative of the foreign ministry stressed that Prague "has embarked on the path of destroying relations."

"The answer will not be long in coming," Zakharova said.

The Foreign Ministry also reported that on April 22, the ambassador of the Czech Republic Vitezslav Pivonka was summoned to the ministry, to whom a strong protest was lodged in connection with the additional restrictive measures taken by Prague against the employees of the Russian embassy.

“The Ambassador was told that the Czech Republic continues to promote the anti-Russian campaign under falsified pretexts and by its actions is destroying bilateral relations.

It was emphasized that the language of ultimatums is unacceptable for us, ”Zakharova said in a comment posted on the agency’s website.

"In response to the hostile actions of Prague, they demanded to reduce the number of members of the Czech Embassy in Moscow, taking into account the significant disparity in the category of those received locally," the ministry said.

The Foreign Ministry stressed that they reserve the right to take other steps in case of the continuation of the "hysterical anti-Russian campaign" in the Czech Republic.

On April 22, the Czech Foreign Ministry announced a reduction in the number of Russian diplomats at the Russian Embassy in Prague to the number of Czech diplomats in Moscow.

Foreign Minister Jakub Kulganek said that Russia received a deadline to recall its people until the end of May.

Recall that on April 17, during a press conference, Czech Prime Minister Andrei Babis and First Deputy Prime Minister, Interior Minister Jan Hamacek announced the alleged involvement of Russian intelligence in the explosions at ammunition depots in Vrbetica in 2014.

At the same time, Prague refused to disclose the details of the investigation into the incident.

At the same time, the Czech Republic announced the expulsion of 18 Russian diplomats.

The Russian Foreign Ministry called the actions of the Czech side unfriendly and declared 20 employees of the Czech Embassy in Russia persona non grata.

The Czech side later announced that only five diplomats would remain in the Russian capital.

The official representative of the department, Maria Zakharova, noted that after the events in which Prague accused Moscow of involvement, seven years have passed, but no details about the incident have been made public.

The refusal of the Czech Republic to disclose the data on the explosion in Vrbetica, Zakharova called proof that the information voiced by Prague was fake.

Press Secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov also said that in Moscow the statements of the Czech side are considered "provocative and unfriendly."

Later, the head of the Czech Foreign Ministry, Jakub Kulganek, demanded that Russia return 20 expelled embassy employees to Moscow, stating that otherwise Prague would reduce the number of staff at the Russian embassy to similar to the Czech one.

In response to the Foreign Ministry, Zakharova called such an ultimatum tone unacceptable.

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“We offer Prague to leave ultimatums for communication within NATO.

With Russia, such a tone is unacceptable, "TASS quotes Maria Zakharova.

Dmitry Peskov also confirmed that Moscow does not accept the stylistics of demands from other countries towards itself. 

On April 22, Jakub Kulganek announced that 63 employees of the Russian Embassy in Prague should leave the Czech Republic. 

State Duma Deputy Ruslan Balbek, in a conversation with RT, expressed the opinion that the actions of the Czech Republic are a continuation of the Russophobic policy of the United States. 

“The Czech Republic previously lagged behind the Russophobic fashion and now, apparently, has decided to catch up.

We can promise in response not just mirror, but adequate measures, but we will not allow anyone to offend our diplomats with impunity, ”the deputy stressed.

In turn, a member of the Federation Council committee on international affairs, head of the commission for the protection of state sovereignty, Andrei Klimov, expressed the opinion that the Czech authorities had reached an impasse and did not know how to get out of it, saving face.

“They cannot say that they made a mistake.

They cannot completely leave their country without contacts in one of the two global powers in the world.

There are many people in the Czech Republic who do not really understand what is happening.

Because they are waiting for Russian tourists, they are waiting for Russian investments, "he said in an interview with RT.

Statement by the leaders of the European Parliament factions

Amid deteriorating relations between Moscow and Prague, the leaders of the European Parliament factions called on EU countries to take "decisive measures" against Russia over Moscow's alleged involvement in the Vrbetica incident. 

In particular, the head of EU diplomacy, Josep Borrell, said that the European Union expresses full solidarity with the Czech Republic and is ready to assist in its further efforts to bring the "guilty" to justice. 

After that, Prime Minister of Slovakia Eduard Heger announced that Bratislava was expelling three Russian diplomats in connection with the situation in the Czech Republic.

Maria Zakharova, a spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, stressed that the Russian side would respond in the event of a coordinated expulsion of Russian diplomats from EU countries. 

“We will respond to the actions that will be addressed to us,” Zakharova said.

At the same time, the chairman of the Association of Independent Media, former President of the Police of the Czech Republic Stanislav Novotny, in a conversation with RT, noted that the decision of Slovakia to expel Russian diplomats is a demonstration of support for the United States, but not the Czech Republic.

"The United States wants everything to stop, so that we work only in one direction ... So that there are no other opportunities for us, so that we do not develop international relations in all four directions," he explained.

A similar opinion of RT was expressed by Vladimir Olenchenko, senior researcher at the Center for European Studies, IMEMO RAS, and Vladimir Shapovalov, deputy director of the Institute of History and Politics at Moscow State Pedagogical University.

“We are more seeing a demonstration of the capabilities of the American lobby in Europe than really“ defending ”European interests,” Olenchenko explained.

According to Vladimir Shapovalov, the decision of Slovakia in this situation is a consequence of probable demands from Washington.

“I would link this not with what is happening in Prague, but with what is happening in Moscow, namely, the expulsion of American diplomats from Moscow.

One can only regret that Slovakia is not able to build an independent nationally oriented policy in relations with Russia, ”the expert concluded.