The Czech government on Thursday announced it will cut the number of Russian diplomats in the country after Moscow failed to comply with Prague's ultimatum on Wednesday.
Czechia warned that more Russian diplomats would be forced out of the country if the Kremlin didn't accept within a day the return of the 20 Czech diplomats expelled on Sunday.
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Czechia's Prime Minister Andrej Babis, right, and newly appointed Foreign Minister Jakub Kulhanek address media at the Cernin's Palace in Prague, Czechia, Wednesday, April 21, 2021. /AP/Petr David Josek
"The Russian Federation has until 12 p.m. tomorrow (10 a.m. GMT) to allow the return of all expelled diplomats back to the Czech embassy in Moscow," newly appointed Foreign Minister Jakub Kulhanek told reporters on Wednesday.
"If they cannot return, I will cut the number of Russian embassy staff in Prague so it would correspond to the current situation at the Czech embassy in Moscow," he added.
Russia expelled 20 Czech diplomats on Sunday in retaliation for the perceived "provocation" of Czechia's own expulsion of 18 Russian diplomats identified by Prague as spies, a reaction the Czech government has described as "inappropriate."
Russia's Ambassador in Czechia Alexander Vladimirovich Zmeyevskiy arrives for meeting with Czechia's Foreign Minister Jakub Kulhanek, on April 21, 2021 in Prague. /Michal Cizek/AFP
Russia said Czechia's ultimatum was "unacceptable."
After Prague's request to Moscow fell through, Kulhanek declared Russia will now have until the end of May to withdraw its diplomatic staff in Prague to reduce the numbers from an original 94 to 24 embassy staff, the same number as Czech diplomats at the country's embassy in Moscow.
NATO allies have since expressed their "full solidarity" with Czechia, but haven't yet offered joint action against the Kremlin.
The current spat between the two countries, provoked by Czechia's accusation that Russian intelligence was involved into a deadly explosion at an arms depot in the country in 2014, has been described as the worst since the end of the Cold War and the Soviet domination in Eastern Europe.
On Thursday, Czechia's neighbor Slovakia also announced the decision to expel three Russian diplomats within seven days.
"It was not an empty gesture, rather, our action was based on information received from our intelligence service and intelligence services of our partners," Slovakia's Defence Minister Jaroslav Nad told reporters.
"In the case of these three persons, their activities went beyond established rules in an international environment."
Cover image: Michal Cizek/AFP