Tensions have spiralled between Russia and US since March after US President Joe Biden said he thought his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin was a "killer" and Moscow recalled its ambassador to Washington for consultations.
Czech government accuses Russian secret services of being behind an explosion that killed two people at an arms depot in 2014, which President Milos Zeman on Sunday likened to terror attacks.
Russia will have until the end of May to withdraw its embassy's employees to reduce their numbers to the same level as those of the Czech embassy in Moscow, Czech Foreign Minister Jakub Kulhanek said, escalating diplomatic row with Moscow.
Call comes after Prague accused Russian secret services of orchestrating a fatal explosion on the Czech territory in 2014, making this the biggest row between Prague and Moscow since the end of Soviet domination of eastern Europe in 1989.
In a growing spat between Russia and Czech Republic, Moscow on Sunday announced the expulsion of 20 Czech diplomats a day after Prague’s “unprecedented” decision to expel 18 Russian diplomats identified as secret agents.
Russian Foreign Ministry says 20 employees of the Czech embassy in Moscow have been declared "persona non grata" and they must leave the country by the end of Monday.
The Czech Republic announced that it was expelling 18 Russian diplomats who it has identified as spies in a case related to a huge ammunition depot explosion in 2014.
The European Commission, the bloc's executive, published new plans on Wednesday for tougher border controls and streamlined procedures for expelling rejected asylum seekers.
Born on February 23, 1938, Menzel won the Academy Award for the best foreign language film with "Closely Watched Trains", a World War II drama, in 1967.
The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival usually draws A-list celebrities, dozens of films and hundreds of fans to the screening rooms in the spa town of Karlovy Vary from June to July.
Covid-19 has killed more than 437,000 people worldwide since the outbreak started in China last year, according to tracking websites. Here are the developments for June 15:
“Israel has occupied Palestinian land for over 50 years and Europe has barely mustered more than a few terse statements in opposition”.
Subscribe to our Youtube channel for all latest in-depth, on the ground reporting from around the world.
Copyright © 2021 TRT World.
Like
Follow