In November 2017, a small amount of the A230 chemical [the same family as Novichok] was produced, tested and destroyed in the territory of the Czech republic, president Milos Zeman said on May, 3.
“We did produce and store Novichok in insignificant amounts. We know where and when. Let us not be hypocritical. We should not lie about this,” Radio RFE/RL quotes Zeman, who is known for his pro-Russian sentiments.
Although the Security and Information Service said the agent in question had not been Novichok, Zeman continues to refer to the opinion of military intelingence, which, according to him, is more trustworthy.
Opposition politicians are blaming Zeman for spreading misinformation.
The Czech leader instructed intelligence agencies to check whether Novichok had been produced in the country after Russian diplomats claimed that the substance used to poison the Skripal family might have been of Czech origin.
On March 4, former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal, 66, and his daughter Yulia, 33, were found unconscious at a shopping mall in the English town of Salisbury. The two were taken to hospital in critical condition. The were reportedly poisoned following exposure to an unknown substance. A bit later, British Prime Minister Theresa May said they had been poisoned with Novichok, a military-grade nerve agent of a type developed by Russia. Novichok might have been smeared hours earlier on the handle of Mr Skripal’s front door at his home on the edge of the city.
The incident caused a number of rows and triggered a diplomatic war between the West and the Kremlin.
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Belsat.eu
