Russia must withdraw dozens of diplomatic personnel from Czechia over the next month, as a diplomatic dispute between Moscow and Prague worsens in the wake of a high-profile intelligence scandal.
“We are capping the number of Russian diplomats in Prague at the current number of our staff in Moscow,” Czech Foreign Minister Jakub Kulhanek said Thursday. “This decision is applicable from today, and Russia has until the end of May to withdraw its people.”
Kulhanek’s announcement threatens to denude one of Russia’s largest embassies in Europe in the wake of a Czech conclusion that Russian military intelligence operatives are responsible for a 2014 explosion that killed two civilians. That assessment spurred Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis to order the expulsion of 18 Russian spies last week, but Russian officials retaliated by ordering 20 Czech officials to leave Moscow — escalating a diplomatic confrontation that could cause substantial disruptions for Russian intelligence services.
“We are not talking about escalation,” Babis said. “We are interested in fair relations with the Russian Federation, and we hoped that Russia would recognize the disproportionate response, but it did not. That is why we have decided to respond appropriately.”
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Babis’s government deemed Russia’s response to the initial expulsion unjustified, given that scores of Russian officials remained in the country even after the 18 officers departed. The new order sets the table for Russia to withdraw between 60 and 70 people from Czechia by the end of May. (The Russian Foreign Ministry has 94 people stationed in the country, according to state media, compared to 24 Czech diplomats and staff in Moscow.) And Czech intelligence officials believe that the large embassy team in Prague is a cover for a major intelligence hub.
“For a few years, there has been no significant change in the number of Russian intelligence officers operating under diplomatic cover in the Czech Republic,” Czech intelligence services stated in their 2019 annual report. “However, reducing their activity effectively was still extremely complicated, as the Russian diplomatic mission has been disproportionately large in comparison to the Czech mission in Russia for a long time.”
Moscow could avert at least some of that loss in negotiations before the May deadline, as Czech officials hope to come to an accord that will reverse some of the decisions taken on both sides this week.
“This allows time for the Russian personnel to prepare their departure,” a Czech official told the Washington Examiner on condition of anonymity. “And also it gives both sides time, if there is a will on the Russian side, to negotiate what the final number of diplomats in both countries will be.”
The steps that already have been taken should degrade Russian intelligence capabilities, according to the Czech government.
“We were able to show what really happened and, as a result, to break up two Russian secret service stations,” Czech Interior Minister Jan Hamacek said, referring to the decision to expel the 18 Russians ordered last Saturday to leave the country. “I want to assure everyone that in the last few days, we have always had in mind their safety above all.”
And if the Russians don’t come to a new accord with the Czechs next month, those losses could be magnified as scores of other officials leave the country.
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“The number is quite extensive,” a Czech official said, noting that Prague isn’t specifying which people must leave the Russian Embassy in this round. “So it will probably affect some intelligence officers.”
