NATO secretary general: Attempts to intimidate elected representatives unacceptable

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has spoken out in defence of Czech politicians who are under police protection after making decisions that have angered Russia.

Secretary General Stoltenberg told Czech Television that NATO strongly rejected attempts to intimidate democratically elected politicians.

"Any attempt to use force or intimidate elected representatives is an attempt to undermine democracy as such and we must make it emphatically clear that this is unacceptable,” Stoltenberg said.

Three Prague mayors have been given police protection over the removal of a monument to Red Army commander Ivan Konev in Prague 6, the construction of one to the Vlasov army on the outskirts of the city and the renaming of a street in honour of the slain Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov.

The incidents have soured Czech-Russian relations and cast a shadow over the end-of-war celebrations.