Russia expels 2 Czech diplomats

Russia has demanded the expulsion of two Czech diplomats in response to a similar step taken by the Czech authorities, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement Monday, reported Xinhua.

"On June 15, Ambassador of the Czech Republic to the Russian Federation Vitezslav Pivonka was summoned to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs," the statement said.

Two employees of the Czech Embassy in Moscow were declared personae non gratae and were ordered to leave Russia together with their family members by the end of Wednesday, it said.

The ambassador was told that the measure was a mirrored response to the provocative action of Prague, according to the statement.

Earlier this month, the Czech Republic expelled two Russian diplomats.