Czech news in brief for December 6: Saturday's top afternoon headlines

A Czech helicopter unit in eastern Poland was activated early Friday as a precaution after a major Russian airstrike on Ukraine, Defence Minister Jana Černochová said. Three Mi-171S helicopters have been supporting NATO’s eastern flank since September. No threat to Poland materialized and the unit returned to base. Polish jets also scrambled as sirens sounded near the Ukraine border, but airspace was not violated.

Slovak President Peter Pellegrini expressed confidence in excellent relations with Czechia following Andrej Babiš’s upcoming appointment as prime minister. Pellegrini praised recent visits by Czech parliamentary leaders and said he hopes intergovernmental consultations will resume. He added he will not meet future Czech opposition representatives, emphasizing that official contacts should focus on government-level relations rather than political parties.

Police in Ostrava charged two men and two women from Southeast Europe with defrauding Czech social benefits for Ukrainian refugees. The group allegedly misused the identities of more than 70 women, submitting nearly 750 false applications between late 2022 and mid-2023, resulting in losses of about CZK 2.8 million Authorities said the couples spent the funds on luxury foreign travel.

The National Institute of Mental Health will roll out a nationwide campaign next year to promote mental well-being and prevent mental illnesses, director Jiří Horáček said. The effort will target children, adults and seniors, focusing on risks such as excessive digital use and poor sleep. Horáček said prevention is essential as patient numbers rise and psychiatrist numbers stagnate. The campaign will run across media nationwide.

National minorities in Czechia have faced disinformation, hate speech and declining membership in recent years, a government report shows. The document, to be debated Wednesday, cites strained relations within some groups, especially Russian and Belarusian communities, and notes reduced use of minority languages. It also highlights rising anti-Semitism, alongside local tensions fuelled by online misinformation.