Russia Dismisses Media Report of Plot to Poison Prague Mayor
The Russian embassy in Prague has formally protested to the Czech Foreign Ministry over a media report claiming that Russian spies may have plotted to poison the mayor of Prague and another local official whose recent actions have angered Moscow.
Prague, Apr 28 (AP) The Russian embassy in Prague has formally protested to the Czech Foreign Ministry over a media report claiming that Russian spies may have plotted to poison the mayor of Prague and another local official whose recent actions have angered Moscow.
Respekt weekly claimed Monday that Czech intelligence services suspected a Russian agent was sent to Prague three weeks ago to poison Prague mayor Zdenek Hrib and Prague 6 district's Mayor Ondrej Kolar with ricin, a highly potent toxin.
Czech authorities did not comment on the report.
“The allegations in the story are absolutely baseless” and designed to “discredit” Russia, an embassy statement said.
Hrib and Kolar have both been strongly criticized recently by Russian officials. Both have been placed under police protection. Authorities didn't give any reason for that measure.
In February, a Prague square in front of the Russian Embassy was renamed after slain Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, with Hrib unveiling the new nameplate.
In April, Kolar's district removed the statue of Soviet World War II commander Ivan Stepanovic Konev whose armies liberated Prague from Nazi occupation.
Prague 6 officials said the statue will be moved to a museum and a new monument honoring the city's liberation will be installed in its place. (AP)
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)