Russia expelled two Czech diplomats on June 15 in response to the expulsion of two Russian diplomats from the Czech Republic last week. 

Czech-Russian relations have been deteriorating for months. Prague expelled the two Russian diplomats as it accused the Russian Federation of interfering in Czech internal affairs and allegedly attempting to poison Czech public officials. 

“On June 15, Ambassador of the Czech Republic to the Russian Federation Vitezslav Pivonka was summoned to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to be informed of the Russian side’s retaliatory measures in connection with Prague’s hostile actions and two Russian embassy employees being declared persona non grata on the basis of absurd and unsubstantiated charges on June 5,” stated the Russian foreign ministry. 

The two Czech diplomats and their families will have to leave the country by June 17.

“The ambassador was informed that the move was a mirror response to the provocative step by Prague officials, taken without any reason, something even the Czech authorities admit,” the ministry noted. 

At the end of April, Prague mayor Zdenek Hrib and Prague 6 mayor Ondrej Kolar went under protection since the Czech intelligence reportedly captured a Russian diplomatic car heading to the Russian embassy from Prague airport with a suitcase containing ricin. 

Both politicians have been confronting the Russian authorities in recent months. Hrib approved the renaming of a Prague square located near the Russian embassy after the Russian opposition politician Boris Nemtsov, while Kolar decided to remove the statue of Russian WWII commander Ivan Konev. 

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis has confirmed that based on information from the Czech counter-intelligence service agency the two expelled men were involved in a plot in which a Russian agent had been sent to Prague to kill elected Prague officials with the poison ricin. 

Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs Tomas Petricek said Russia had refused to resolve the ongoing dispute between the two countries, which led to Prague declaring two Russian diplomats persona non grata. 

“The fact that the decision was announced at the level of the country's Prime Minister Andrej Babis and Foreign Minister Tomas Petricek only confirms that the tendency to aggravate relations with Russia has been elevated to state policy. We will bear this in mind in the general context of our relations with the Czech Republic,” the Russian MFA added.