Russian embassy staff expelled over 2014 blast begin leaving Prague for Moscow

A first wave of Russian embassy staffers expelled by the Czech government in reaction to a deadly 2014 blast left for Moscow on Saturday afternoon. In total several dozen Russian diplomats, embassy staff and their families are due to leave by May 31 under a bilateral agreement on “parity representation”.

The reduction in staff was triggered by a diplomatic row over the Czech claim that Russian intelligence agents were behind a series of blasts at a munition depot in Vrbětice.

In mid-April the government ordered 18 Russian agents to leave the country within 48 hours. Another 63 diplomats and staff were given until the end of May to go. Russia in turn expelled 79 diplomats and employees of the Czech Embassy, ​​the Czech Center and Czech House in Moscow.

Under the agreement Prague and Moscow are bound to reduce the number of embassy staff at their respective representations to 7 diplomats, 25 administrative and technical workers and 19 local support staff by May 31. Moscow is dispatching special flights for its employees.