The Czech Foreign Ministry demands about 4 million euros from Russia

Russia owes the Czech Republic about 4 million euros for renting houses and apartments. This was announced today, April 2, by Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky.

According to him, Russia currently leases more than 80 facilities in the Czech Republic. He also recalled that the lawsuit against the Russian Federation was filed by the Diplomatic Service, a subordinate organization of the Czech Foreign Ministry, in the Prague City Court in July 2023. It concerns the return of unjustified enrichment over the past three years, exceeding 2.1 million euros.

"The fact that they did not pay rent under socialism, I can still understand — out of brotherly love for The Soviet Union. But they didn't pay for thirty years after the revolution," Lipavsky said.

Recall that in May 2023, the Czech government canceled nine resolutions of the 1970s and 1980s, according to which land plots were transferred to the Soviet Union for free use for diplomatic purposes. Later, Lipavsky said that Russia owns 42 buildings in the Czech Republic, which were originally designated as mission facilities, that is, intended for diplomatic purposes. However, according to the minister, during the inspection, the Foreign Ministry found out that dozens of them are not used for their intended purpose. In November 2023, the Czech government added an enterprise managing Russian state-owned real estate to the national sanctions list in connection with the conflict on Ukraine. According to members of the government, this actually means the freezing of Russian state property in the Czech Republic. However, this decision does not apply to diplomatic missions, which include four facilities, including the embassy and the residence of the Ambassador of the Russian Federation.