Russia's Decision Proves Prague Acted Correctly On Vrbetice - Czech Deputy Prime Minister

PRAGUE (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 14th May, 2021) Russia's decision to include the Czech Republic to the list of unfriendly states confirms that Prague correctly responded to the "Vrbetice case," Czech First Deputy Prime Minister Jan Hamacek said on Friday.

"Russia's decision is a confirmation that the Czech Republic reacted correctly to the 'Vrbetice case' and that the Czech reaction had such a strong influence on Russia that it was deemed necessary to include us on the list of unfriendly countries together with the United States. I am proud that I was able to take part in the preparation and the implementation of this Czech reaction," Hamacek told reporters.

In mid-April, Prague accused the Russian intelligence of involvement in the explosion in Vrbetice in 2014 and expelled 18 employees of the Russian embassy from the country. In response, Moscow declared 20 employees of the Czech diplomatic mission persona non grata, stating that the accusations of the explosion were absurd, unfounded and far-fetched. The Kremlin noted that the Czech Republic's unsubstantiated accusations against Russia inflicted extreme harm on relations between the two countries, and also indicated that these accusations against Russia were part of a large-scale campaign of the West against Moscow.