MOSCOW: President Vladimir Putin on Monday dismissed as “absurd” Prague’s accusations against Moscow after Czech authorities accused the Russian secret services of being behind a deadly arms depot blast in 2014.

In a phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron, Putin “commented on the current state of Russian-Czech relations, emphasising the absurd nature of Prague’s accusations and actions against Russia”, the Kremlin said in a statement.

Tensions have escalated between the two countries after Prague accused Russian military intelligence earlier this month of being behind the explosion in the east of the Czech Republic, which left two people dead.

Czech police are seeking two men in connection with the blast, along with a second non-fatal explosion in the Czech Republic in 2014.

The men have also been identified as suspects in the 2018 poisoning of former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter in the English town of Salisbury in 2018.

After Prague expelled 18 Russian diplomats over the allegations, Moscow retaliated by kicking out 20 Czech embassy staff.