The expulsion of Russian diplomats from the Czech Republic is the continuation of a series of anti-Russian actions and one cannot but see a US trace in this, the Russia Foreign Ministry said on Sunday.
Czech Foreign Minister Jan Hamacek on Saturday announced the expulsion of 18 Russian diplomats, who were obliged to leave the country within 48 hours.
Prime Minister Andrej Babis explained that the move was prompted by "a reasonable suspicion" that Russian military intelligence officers had something to do with the October 2014 explosion at an ammunition depot in the town of Vrbetice.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova responded by saying that Prague knows well what will follow. Meanwhile, the Czech police put on their wanted list Russian nationals Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov, suspected by London of carrying out a nerve agent attack on former Russian military intelligence officer Sergei Skripal and his daughter in the UK's Salisbury in March 2018.
"This hostile step is a continuation of a series of anti-Russian actions undertaken by the Czech Republic in recent years. It is impossible not to see a US trace here as well. In an effort to please the United States against the backdrop of the recent US sanctions against Russia, the Czech authorities have even surpassed their overseas masters in this regard," the statement said.
The Russian Foreign Ministry also lodged protest with Prague over the decision to expel Russian diplomats. (/Sputnik)
( With inputs from ANI )
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