MOSCOW, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Russia is strongly against an action in the Czech city of Brno where Soviet symbols were removed from a monument to the 326 Soviet soldiers, who died there in the final phases of World War II, the Foreign Ministry said Thursday.

    "Activity of this kind contradicts provisions of Russian-Czech intergovernmental agreements, and we classify it as vandalism," a spokesman of the ministry was quoted by the Itar-Tass news agency as saying.

    Russia has demanded that Soviet symbols be reinstalled at the monument, an inquiry into the incident be held and the guilty persons be punished, he said.

    The Russian Foreign Ministry has issued a protest to the ambassador of the Czech Republic in Russia.

    "Ambassador Miroslav Kostelka expressed regret over the Brno incident and admitted that the Brno monument, as well as all other monuments at burial sites are covered by the Czech Republic's international obligations," the spokesman said.

    "On behalf of the Czech government, the ambassador gave assurances of deep respect for the memory of those who died during the liberation of Czechoslovakia during World War II," he said.