EU to discuss Russian espionage after Czech blast is linked to Skripal case

EU states’ foreign ministers will discuss Russia’s undercover military operations in Europe after a suspected espionage operation in the Czech Republic was linked to the poisoning of former spy Sergei Skripal in England.

Prague said on Saturday that 18 Russian diplomats would be expelled over a blast at a munitions depot and was seeking men carrying passports in the assumed names of the men accused in the Skripal case.

The men sought by the Czech Republic were carrying Russian passports in the names of Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov, the aliases of the military intelligence officers charged over the poisoning of Mr Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury in 2018.

Dawn Sturgess, 44, who lived in the town, died after inadvertently spraying herself with novichok, a nerve agent, stored in a perfume bottle.

The UK accused Russia of orchestrating the poisoning. Moscow denies involvement.

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis said the expulsions were based on “unequivocal evidence” provided by his country’s intelligence and security services that indicated the involvement of Russian military agents in the explosion, which “killed two innocent fathers”.

“The Czech Republic is a sovereign state and must adequately react to those unprecedented findings,” he said.

The men sought were in the country in the days leading up to the explosion.

It occurred on October 16, 2014, at a depot in the town of Vrbetice in which 50 tonnes of ammunition was stored.

Another 13 tonnes of ammunition exploded at the same site two months later.

Czech Interior Minister Jan Hamacek, who is also serving as foreign minister, said the 18 embassy staff were identified as spies of the Russian intelligence services and were ordered to leave the Czech Republic within 48 hours.

The EU’s executive commission said the dispute would be addressed today during a video conference of its member states’ foreign ministers.

Dominic Raab, the UK Foreign Secretary, said Britain gave its full support to Prague.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said her country would respond to the Czech decision.

“Prague is well aware of what will follow such tricks,” Ms Zakharova told Russia’s state Tass news agency.