Russian authorities are considering banning the import of the Czech ridge as an asymmetric measure against the expulsion of Russian diplomats from Prague. This was reported by the newspaper “Kommersant”, referring to its sources in the state administration, BNR reported.
According to one of the sources of the publication, the Prague action cannot be answered only reciprocally and therefore it is possible to impose economic sanctions.
Last week, the Czech Republic declared 18 Russian diplomats “persona non grata”, blaming them for the explosions at military warehouses in the village of Varbetitsa in 2014. Russia then expelled 20 employees of the Czech embassy in Moscow, and Prague announced it would expel another 63 Russians.
This time, however, the Russian side cannot respond reciprocally, as only seven Czech diplomats and 25 technical staff remain in Moscow.
The chairman of the State Duma’s economic policy committee, Sergei Zhigaryov, strongly objected to such ideas.
“We need to improve our relations with the Czech Republic, not worsen them through economic sanctions,” he told Govorit Moskva radio.
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