Belarus expels Czech diplomat in tit-for-tat move after Prague makes spy ring accusations

Published on 19/09/2025 - 18:52 GMT+2

Belarus' Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned a elder Polish diplomat and ordered a Czech diplomat to time off nan state wrong 72 hours connected Friday, successful a tit-for-tat move which comes aft some countries expelled Belarusian diplomats connected espionage grounds earlier this month.

In a connection issued connected Friday, Belarus' Foreign Ministry said that "the existent business has been caused by nan Czech authorities' years of cultivating a biased cognition towards Belarus."

Czech and Polish authorities expelled Belarusian diplomats, arsenic portion of a wider crackdown connected a European spy ringing made up of agents from Belarus' KGB authorities information agency, arsenic uncovered by intelligence services from nan Czech Republic, Hungary and Romania.

According to nan Czech intelligence agency (BIS), Belarus managed to found specified a spy web because its diplomats are capable to freely recreation crossed European countries.

"To successfully antagonistic these dispute activities successful Europe, we request to restrict nan activity of accredited diplomats from Russia and Belarus wrong nan Schengen (borderless) area," BIS caput Michal Koudelka said successful a statement.

Heightened tensions pinch Poland

In nan aforesaid statement, Minsk said that nan specifications of its chat pinch nan summoned Polish diplomat would beryllium revealed "at a later date."

"The Belarusian broadside considers this negotiated incident to beryllium closed. In nan arena of further escalation, Belarus will respond appropriately. This position has been communicated to Warsaw and Prague."

Warsaw closed its separator pinch Belarus in nan nighttime of nan 11 to 12 September, successful consequence to nan large-scale Russian-Belarusian "Zapad" associated subject exercises.

The exercises began soon aft an unprecedented incursion of astatine slightest 19 Russian drones into Polish airspace, which near NATO friends connected precocious alert.

Belarus is led by authoritarian President Aliaksandr Lukashenka, who is a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Lukashenka fto Russia usage Belarusian territory arsenic a staging crushed for Moscow's full-scale penetration of Ukraine in February 2022, and later allowed nan deployment of Russian tactical atomic missiles.