Prague - In 2007, Russian spies tried to influence the Czech public opinion on the planned US radar base to be stationed on Czech soil. Moreover, there are also agents of other nationalities active in the Czech Republic.
This information is included in the annual military counter-intelligence report which is to be made public on Monday, said Martin Barták, Deputy Defence Minister in Czech TV´s weekly political talkshow Otázky Václava Moravce (Questions of Václav Moravec), .
The information on Russian agents´ activity in the country was released earlier last week by the Czech Security Information Service (BIS). BIS informed on Thursday that Russian spies tried to affect both Czech politicians and media. The report allegedly indicates that Russia may have a bigger plan than just to obstruct the US missile defense system - to undermine the integrity of NATO as well as EU.
However, the opposition claims that the report was released deliberately only now shortly before the regional election.
Looking too similar
The Social Democratic Party´s leader (ČSSD) Jiří Paroubek said the case was similar to the so-called Kubice affair that erupted a few days before 2006 parliamentary elections.
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Social Democratic MP Jeroným Tejc alleged that the government is trying to avert the attention from its own scandals that ocurred in the past few weeks.
However, Barták denied any hidden motives behind releasing the report now. He claims that the documents which the counter-intelligence has available indicate Russian agents purchase land around the future radar base.
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Russia is suspicious of the US missile defense system to be built in Poland and the Czech Republic. US Secretary State Condoleezza Rice and her Czech counterpart Karel Schwarzenberg signed the missile defense treaty in July, while last week Czech and US Defence Ministers Vlasta Parkanová and Robert Gates signed the SOFA deal, which covers the status of US soldiers on Czech soil.
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