Expelled Russian diplomats to leave the country on Sunday

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.