The two Russian diplomats who were expelled by the Czech government this
week will leave the country on Sunday, the deputy head of the Russian
government agency Rossotrudničestvo Michail Bryukhananov, for whom
diplomats work, told the TASS news agency. The head of Russian civil
intelligence, Sergei Naryshkin, called their expulsion a "vile
provocation" by the Czech authorities.
The Czech government on Friday announced its decision to expel two unnamed
Russian diplomats, giving them 48 hours to leave the country. Prime
Minister Andrej Babiš said the two were involved in bogus information that
a Russian agent was sent to Prague in March to kill elected Prague
officials using the poison ricin. He said the bogus plot, which severely
strained bilateral relations, stemmed from a dispute between Russian
embassy staffers.