Government coalition ministers and MPs disagree on Vrbětice sabotage

Radim Fiala, a deputy leader of the Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) party, is standing by his remarks questioning Russia’s role in the 2014 explosions at the Vrbětice ammunition depots. He said it was up to investigators, courts and the intelligence service to convince him otherwise. Ministers from ANO disagree with Fiala’s claims. ANO party leader and Prime Minister Andrej Babiš previously said there was well-founded suspicion that Russian military intelligence was behind the attack. Education Minister Robert Plaga said the evidence presented by police and the Security Information Service had been clear. Two people were killed in the explosions at Vrbětice, which Czech authorities later linked to officers of Russia’s GRU.