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Moscow and the Czech Republic have expelled each other’s “diplomats” in a dispute over Russia’s sabotage in Europe.
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The Czech Republic has also properly canceled its nuclear contract with Russia.
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“The project was important not only for the income to Russia, but also for its impact on local affairs,” sources told insiders.
Russia announced on Monday Expulsion of at least 20 Czech diplomats In a violent reaction to the internal organs of Moscow’s most important intelligence service in Central Europe over the weekend when Czech authorities accused Russia’s intelligence service of being behind two blasts at an ammunition storage facility in 2014.
The Czech Republic has accused the infamous Russian intelligence agencies involved in multiple operations in Europe and Britain of conducting two operations in 2014 and causing an explosion at a military factory in 2014. At that time, ammunition was said to have been heading for Russia’s rivals in Ukraine. After nearly seven years of investigation into the blast, Czech authorities detailed the relationship between Russian intelligence agencies GRU, including the passport used in the 2018 Salisbury poisoning by agents suspected of GRU, from Prague. Began to expel Russian intelligence agents.
“Prague [Russian intelligence] It has a semi-friendly government and is centrally located within the European Union, making it a well-operated logistic hub. “
“The 18” diplomats “who were kicked out of the Czech Republic [various Russian services] He was involved not only in operations targeting the Czech Republic, but also in operations targeting most of Europe, “he said.” Is there an EU station other than Berlin that is more important to Russians for operational purposes? I don’t know. “
According to Czech officials, Russia’s diplomatic mission to the Czech Republic has about 120 diplomats and personnel, more than twice the size of a mission to a relatively large country or the Czech to Russia. The size of the delegation. Russia expelled 20 Czech diplomats on Monday in retaliation for the weekend’s move.
The Czech Republic also banned Russian companies from bidding on billions of euros With a contract to maintain the Dukovani nuclear power plant..
“Loss of so many intelligence agents will currently reduce the amount of activity and capacity of Russians,” said a Central European official. “And Putin will now see billions of losses in contracts from the nuclear sector. The project was important not only for revenue to Russia, but also for the impact of the contract on local issues.”
“This is a real punishment for Russians, and while skeptical that this kind of influence affects their behavior, some intelligence officials are caught in sensitive and important areas like the Czech Republic. We may have to explain how we were able to do it, “said the NATO Army Intelligence Official.
In the 2014 incident that caused the conflict, two men (who became world-famous a few years after allegedly addicted to Salisbury) entered the Czech Republic with a set of passports, but the second set. It all started when I requested access to an ammunition manufacturing facility with my passport.
The· Ammunition was owned by a Bulgarian weapons merchant Who will be a year later Poisoned by the same deadly nerve agent Used in Salisbury. The explosion at the facility killed two Czech workers, then thought to be an accident.
But after Salisbury, a Russian unit identified as GRU unit 29155 by Western intelligence was exposed, and both Czech and open source investigators targeted Putin’s enemies with the move of Russian officials. It could be easily associated with a series of operations throughout Europe.
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