Moscow threatens retaliatory measures if Czechia demands rent retroactively

Moscow will take retaliatory steps in response if Czechia requests three years' rent retroactively for Czech property used free of charge by Russia, the Czech News Agency reported on Thursday, citing Maria Zakharova, the Russian foreign minister.

The Czech government canceled nine resolutions on Wednesday from the 1970s and 1980s which granted the former Soviet Union the use of certain Czech real estate free of charge. The property was supposed to be used for diplomatic purposes, but Czechia says that Russia uses the land for non-diplomatic purposes, so there is no reason to continue providing it for free. The cancellation of the normalisation-era edicts also allows for the possibility of Czechia demanding taxes and rent from Russia for up to the last three years.