Babiš: “Russian Interference is Unacceptable”

Following reports from the Czech weekly Respekt, of a Russian plot to assassinate two political figures in Prague using ricin, PM Andrej Babiš (ANO) said that the Czech Republic “is a sovereign state, and we would certainly not let any of the world’s powers to influence our political affairs in any way.”

“It is impossible – if true – for some foreign country to take some actions here against our citizens,” Babis added.

The Mayor of Prague Hřib approved the renaming of a square where the Russian Embassy is located after slain Russian opposition politician Boris Nemtsov.

The Russian Embassy is now having to use its consulate address on all of its correspondence, to avoid using the new name of the square.

A few weeks later, Prague’s District 6 council removed the statue of Ivan Stepanovic Konev, a World War II commander, whose statue was erected in 1980.

Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has called the removal of the statue “a crime”.

“It looks like another hoax,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday when asked about the Respekt report.

The Russian embassy in Prague protested the Respekt report in a statement on Monday and did not respond to questions on Tuesday.

Babiš also said that the Czech diplomacy is currently dealing with instances of hostility at the Czech embassies in Moscow and St. Petersburg in recent weeks.