Russia(gate/bot) Czech Republic Expels Russian Embassy Personnel over 2014 Munitions Explosion Incident

Husky_Khan

The Dog Whistler... I mean Whisperer.
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In October of 2014, a warehouse in an Ammunition Depot containing 50 tons of ammunition caught fire and exploded, killing two depot employees and spreading debris up to 800 meters away. Several hundred people were evacuated for a couple of days as the site was secured. Then in December of the same year a second warehouse containing 13 tons of munitions in the same depot exploded. This warehouse which contained artillery ammunition and submachine guns, was located less then a mile from the epicenter of the previous blast. Investigators for the Depot stated the explosion could not of occurred on its own. The ensuing cleanup of the site was only finished in October of 2020 at a cost of almost fifty million dollars.

According to an investigation by Czech Security Information Service and Police of the Czech Republic, Russian GRU agents engineered the ammunition depot explosions and these allegations were made public on April 17th and on the same day eighteen Russian envoys were ordered to be expelled from the country in relation to the explosions. Two Russian intelligence officers, Alexander Mishkin and Anatoly Chepiga, were alleged to have been involved in the explosions as both arrived in Prague on October 13th and left on October 16th and visited the Ammunition Depot under false credentials/passes as businessmen with different identities. Mishkin and Chepiga were also allegedly involved in the 2018 Poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal in the United Kingdom.

Various media oulets alleged these munitions were destined to supply opposition fighters in Syria, or to be made available to a Bulgarian arms dealer named Emilian Gebrev (who himself was allegedly poisoned by the GRU in 2015) for sale to the Ukraine military.
 

Terthna

Professional Lurker
Various media oulets alleged these munitions were destined to supply opposition fighters in Syria, or to be made available to a Bulgarian arms dealer named Emilian Gebrev (who himself was allegedly poisoned by the GRU in 2015) for sale to the Ukraine military.
If either is true, blowing the munitions up makes sense. Although the question remains as to whether or not the Russians were actually responsible, or if they're just being used as a scapegoat.
 

PsihoKekec

Swashbuckling Accountant
It's most likely munition was intended to be sent to Syria, Ukraine still has massive stocks of Cold War surplus ammo. That also blows up occasionally, but for different reasons.
 

PsihoKekec

Swashbuckling Accountant
Interestingly, Czech president just called out the government over jumping the gun with rather flimsy evidence.

Czech President: Vrbetice Blast Could Be Accident, Russians Never Emerged in Reports in Six Years
Yahoo je zdaj del družbe Verizon Media

The fact, that these accusation came up right after State Department reminded them that some contenders for the nuclear plant refurbishment contract might be unsuitable and were then used as excuse to remove the Russian bid, does make it a bit suspicious.
 

Husky_Khan

The Dog Whistler... I mean Whisperer.
Founder
Sotnik
Interestingly, Czech president just called out the government over jumping the gun with rather flimsy evidence.

Czech President: Vrbetice Blast Could Be Accident, Russians Never Emerged in Reports in Six Years
Yahoo je zdaj del družbe Verizon Media

The fact, that these accusation came up right after State Department reminded them that some contenders for the nuclear plant refurbishment contract might be unsuitable and were then used as excuse to remove the Russian bid, does make it a bit suspicious.

As the original article noted:

Euronews said:
He added that President Milos Zeman, who is known for his pro-Russian views, has been informed about the development and has “expressed absolute support for us.”

Looks like the absolute support wasn't absolute after all! :sneaky:
 

Husky_Khan

The Dog Whistler... I mean Whisperer.
Founder
Sotnik
One argument in support of the Ukraine theory seems to be how Ukraine apparently has had a very bad problem with their ammunition storage depots exploding over the past few years whether due to negligence or sabotage. Supposedly the Czech ammunition depot had similar ordinance used by Ukraine in storage at that facility when it exploded.

 

Rocinante

Russian Bot
Founder
One argument in support of the Ukraine theory seems to be how Ukraine apparently has had a very bad problem with their ammunition storage depots exploding over the past few years whether due to negligence or sabotage. Supposedly the Czech ammunition depot had similar ordinance used by Ukraine in storage at that facility when it exploded.


Yeah, six times is no coincidence, and it's not negligence. This was sabotage.
 

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