Expelled Russian diplomats 'identified as spies' leave Prague

A Russian government plane flew 18 expelled Russian diplomats and their families out of the Czech capital Prague on Monday. The Czech Republic announced Saturday that it was expelling the diplomats whom it had identified as spies in a case related to a huge ammunition depot explosion in 2014.

Prime Minister Andrej Babis said the move was based on "unequivocal evidence" provided by the Czech intelligence and security services that pointed to the involvement of Russian military agents in the blast. The explosion, in a town in the east of the Czech Republic, left two people dead.

Interior Minister Jan Hamacek, who is also serving as the country's foreign minister, said the 18 Russian embassy staffers were clearly identified as spies from Russia's GRU and SVR intelligence services, and were ordered to leave the country within 48 hours.