The Czech Republic declared that it was scaling back the staff of the Russian embassy in Prague to match the number of Czech officials in Moscow on the first day of its EU Council presidency.
On June 28, Bulgaria decided to expel 70 Russian diplomats accused of working against the country’s interests. They asked to leave the country by July 3, whoever is considered a threat to the country.
Now the Czech Republic has also decided to carry out the expulsion orders. According to Bulgarian media outlet “SEGA,” the announcement was made by the nation’s foreign minister, Jakub Kulhanek, at a press conference following a government meeting.
The Czech diplomats won’t be arriving back in Moscow. I informed the ambassador yesterday. Due to the position of our embassy in Moscow, we are putting a cap on the number of Russian diplomats stationed in Prague. As of right now, this choice is final.
A deadline of till the end of May has been set for Russia to bring its citizens back from the Czech Republic, “Informed journalists, Minister Kulhanek.
The Russian Embassy in Prague presently employs 27 diplomats and an additional 67 technical staff, whereas the Czech representation in Russia currently numbers five diplomats and 19 technical personnel, according to the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
As a result, 70 individuals—22 diplomats and 48 more embassy staff members—must depart the Czech Republic by the end of May.
Last week, the Czech Republic expelled 18 Russian diplomats it had identified as special forces personnel and launched a manhunt for Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov, two alleged GRU agents suspected of helping to poison Sergei Skripal in Britain.