VRBĚTICE — 2014 · Suspicious Death
The Vrbětice Ammunition Depot Explosions
On 16 October 2014 a huge explosion tore through an ammunition depot leased by a private company at Vrbětice in eastern Czechia, killing two employees; a second depot exploded on 3 December 2014. The area was evacuated for months and the clean-up took years. On 17 April 2021 the Czech government announced that GRU Unit 29155 of Russian military intelligence had been involved, saying two agents accused over the Skripal poisoning in Salisbury had visited the site using false passports. Czechia expelled 18 Russian diplomats and Russia retaliated by expelling 20 Czech diplomats. Russia denies the accusations.
- Date
- 2014
- Place
- Zlín Region, Czech Republic, Vrbětice, CZ
- Category
- Suspicious Death
- Case Status
- Under Investigation
- Coordinates
- 49.0840, 17.9370 ↗
Timeline of Events
- 16 October 2014The first blast killed two depot employees.
- 3 December 2014A second depot exploded.
- 17 April 2021Czechia blamed the GRU and expelled 18 diplomats.
- April 2021Russia expelled 20 Czech diplomats.
- April 2024Czech police completed their investigation.
Sources
- Al Jazeera — Czechia expels Russian diplomats over 2014 ammunition depot blast aljazeera.com ↗
- BBC News — Salisbury poisoning suspects 'linked to Czech blast' bbc.com ↗
- RFE/RL — Moscow expels 20 Czechs in tit-for-tat move over depot blast rferl.org ↗
- Al Jazeera
- BBC News
- RFE/RL
- Bellingcat
Source grade A: several independent sources, at least one an official record or reference work. If you spot a mistake or something missing, report it with "Suggest a correction" in the app.
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🕯️ This record was prepared with respect, in memory of those who lost their lives.