The Czech foreign ministry said Thursday that it summoned Russia’s ambassador over Moscow’s threats of military confrontation in response to increased drone cooperation with Ukraine.
Russia’s Defense Ministry on Wednesday warned a dozen European countries, including the Czech Republic, that they were “dragging” themselves into war with Russia after having agreed to step up the production and supply of attack drones for Ukraine.
Dmitry Medvedev, Russia’s former president and current Security Council deputy chairman, claimed that 21 production facilities listed by the Defense Ministry, including two in the Czech Republic, were “potential targets for the Russian armed forces.”
“When strikes become a reality depends on what comes next. Sleep well, European partners!” Medvedev wrote on X.
In response, the Czech foreign ministry said it summoned Russian Ambassador Alexander Zmeyevsky to “explain these statements.”
“The remarks were directed at several Czech companies, which were labeled as potential targets for Russian military strikes,” the foreign ministry said.
Moscow has not yet commented on the Czech diplomatic protest.
Other countries listed by the Russian Defense Ministry, including NATO members Britain, Germany and Turkey, appeared to ignore the threats from Moscow, which have become commonplace since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Medvedev, who served as Russia’s president from 2008 to 2012, has adopted increasingly hawkish rhetoric and repeatedly invoked nuclear threats against the West throughout the war.
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