Police: military warehouses in the Czech Republic were blown up by Russian intelligence in 2014

Forensic experts have confirmed that the incidents, which killed two people and caused billions in damage, were no accident. Investigators have proven that the organizer of the bombings of warehouses in the Czech Republic is the Russian military intelligence GRU and its agents, who also carried out the attack in the British city of Salisbury. However, at the moment, the National Center for Combating Organized Crime (NCOZ) states that the trial of the case has been postponed because there is no possibility to continue the criminal prosecution of the perpetrators.

“In its conclusion, the NCOZ found that Russian military intelligence contributed to the organization of the explosions and the death of Czech citizens. This was not the only such action, but part of a long-term program of subversive activities of Russian military intelligence on the territory of the European Union and Ukraine,” officials said in a press release.

The researchers note that the special military intelligence group 29155, which was involved in the bombing of military warehouses and was formed to carry out diversions abroad, is under the 161st training center for special purpose specialists of the GRU. According to the report, the perpetrators of the bombing were Anatoly Chepiga and Alexander Myshkin, who had previously carried out an attempt on the lives of double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury.

As previously established, GRU agents entered ammunition depots using forged passports. However, Czech police cannot press charges against GRU agents because they are on the territory of the Russian Federation. This country, the press release said, does not cooperate with Czech law enforcement authorities and does not extradite suspects for criminal prosecution.

“The Russian authorities have refused to comply with the Czech Republic’s requests for international legal assistance on the grounds that the examination of the Czech request could harm Russia’s sovereignty, public order and important interests,” the Czech police said.

In 2014, two explosions occurred in two ammunition warehouses in the village of Vrbetice. The first occurred on October 16, when 50 tons of explosives were detonated. Two people were killed who worked for the company “Imex Group”, which rented a warehouse from the state-owned company Military Technical Institute.

The second explosion occurred on December 3. in a warehouse where 13 tons of explosives were stored. The facility, also leased by the Imex Group, was 1.2 kilometers from the warehouse that was destroyed by an explosion in October. 430 residents of Vrbeticė and other villages were urgently evacuated. A spokesman for the Imex Group said that the warehouses contained machine guns and artillery shells, and assured them that they could not explode by themselves.

April 17, 2021 The Czech Republic has linked Moscow to explosions at ammunition depots in Vrbetice in 2014 and has expelled 18 Russian diplomats who have been identified as members of Russian special services.