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Czech police also later announced that they were searching for two Russians with passports on suspicion of poisoning by former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter in 2018 as a result of the attempt on two lives.
“18 employees of the Russian embassy must leave our Republic in 48 hours,” Hamas Czech Foreign Minister Jan Hamaček told reporters.
Prime Minister Andrei Babish said the Czech Republic had “clear evidence” linking GRU officers from unit 29155 to an explosion at an army ammunition depot near the village of Vrbetice in eastern Czech Republic.
The prime minister added this after receiving the information on Friday, but did not explain why the investigation took so long.
“The explosion caused great material damage and posed a serious threat to the lives of many local people, but, most importantly, it killed two citizens,” Babish said.
The explosion on October 16, 2014 occurred in a warehouse with 58 tons of ammunition. A few months later, another large explosion occurred in a nearby warehouse with 98 tons of ammunition.
Petrov and Bosirov
The Czech unit against organized crime NCOZ has announced the search for two men with Russian passports.
These passports contain the names of Alexander Petrov, born 1979, and Ruslan Boshirov, born 1978. The United Kingdom is also seeking these passport holders for the poisoning of the Scripes in Salisbury, England.
Russia denies any involvement in the Soviet Union’s anti-nerve-paralyzing substance Novičiok, but as diplomatic relations deteriorated, Western countries, including the United States, sent dozens of Russian diplomats and Russia retaliated.
“Both men were on Czech territory … in October 2014,” when the explosion occurred in Vrbetsk, NCOZ said, adding that both individuals also used Tajik and Moldovan identities.
According to Babish, the expulsion of 18 diplomats has the full support of left-wing President Milos Zeman, who has close ties to Moscow and Beijing.
Zeman has repeatedly criticized his country’s Information Security Service (BIS) for accusing Russian intelligence services of organizing recent cyberattacks against the Czech Foreign Ministry and other targets.
“Like Salisbury”
In a report published last year, the BIS said that Russian intelligence services had also furthered their interests in the Czech Republic by using spies under diplomatic cover.
“In 2019, all employees and collaborators of all Russian intelligence services (civil SVR, military service GRU, internal security service FSB (Federal Security Service) and Federal Security Service (FSO)) were present and active in the Czech Republic, “said the BIS. saying.
Hamascheek earlier this week said it would go to Moscow on Monday to negotiate a possible supply of a Russian COVID-19 “Sputnik V” vaccine, but canceled the trip due to a diplomatic dispute.
Hamaček, who is interior minister and acting foreign minister after his predecessor was fired this week, said he regretted that the incident “would seriously damage relations between the Czech Republic and Russia.”
He said he summoned Russian Ambassador Alexander Zmeyevsky and informed him of the decision.
“We are in a situation reminiscent of [situaciją] In Britain after the attempt to poison Salisbury, “he added.
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