The Czech Republic government decided to cancel the decrees that granted free use of land in Prague and other cities in the country to the Russian embassy. The foreign ministry said Wednesday that Russia will now have to pay leases to use the land.
The decision sparked a heated reply in Russia, with government spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on Thursday calling the demand for rent “extortion” and a violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
The free use of land was granted to the Soviet Union in the 1970s and 1980s by Czech communist rulers and Russia inherited them. European Affairs Minister Martin Dvorak commented on Twitter that the ruling “overturned government decisions taken under the barrels of Russian tanks after the occupation of our country,” referring to the Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968. He also added that “Unauthorised profits from the use of these land plots cannot be allowed to support the current occupation of Ukraine.”
The decision by the current centre-right government led by Petr Fiala is a new chapter in a two-year diplomatic confrontation between the Czech Republic and Russia. It started in 2021 after Prague accused Russia of being responsible for explosions at an arms depot in 2014, forcing Moscow to drastically reduce staff at its embassy.
More recently, Czech Republic has strongly supported Ukraine in its war with Russia, labelling the Russian government as “terrorist” and adding Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill on the national sanctions list.
Russia pledged to protect its interest against the ruling, deemed illegal. Zakharova said that the decision is a step back from “civilised dialogue” and that it exacerbates anti-Russian sentiment.
