From Prague streets to the frontline: Czechs keep Ukraine in their sights

This week, two Czech-based initiatives were launched to highlight the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and the continued need for support, a country located just over 1,000 km from Czechia.

Prague streets became a stark reminder of the conflict through a campaign by creative agency OAK, which displayed images imagining familiar cityscapes under attack.

In collaboration with the creative agency OAK, a series of striking visuals now transforms familiar city streets into imagined war-torn landscapes, bringing the distant conflict uncomfortably close to home.

The photographs allow passersby to experience a brief glimpse of what Prague might look like if the war were happening here.

“These visuals remind us that the war is not a distant past but a reality for our neighbors,” said Tereza Svěráková, co-founder of OAK.

The campaign also highlights the Help Ukraine with the Memory of the Nation collection, which primarily funds humanitarian aid for those affected by the conflict.

In a parallel initiative, the satirical “Gift for Putin” e-shop is raising funds to purchase real weapons for Ukraine. The latest campaign aims to fund a 3,000-kilometer Flamingo missile named DANA 1, after the late nuclear safety expert Dana Drábová.

Drábová gained attention on social media after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 by sharing war updates with her own critical commentary on Russia, often concluding with the phrase, “The radiation situation in Ukraine remains normal,” highlighting the conflict’s proximity to a historical nuclear disaster.

The initiative has already raised CZK 1.3 million toward the CZK 12.5 million target, continuing a series of high-profile donations that previously included a T-72 tank for 30 million crowns, a Black Hawk helicopter for CZK 72.6 million, and an RM-70 rocket launcher for CZK 50 million.

Entrepreneur Dalibor Dědek, co-creator of the initiative, said the campaign reflects Czech creativity and humor while meeting urgent defense needs. “People can see the war’s impact, contribute where it matters, and help Ukrainians defend themselves,” he said.

These initiatives are launched amid continued Russian offensives and growing international uncertainty regarding Ukraine.

Czech support, both governmental and civic, remains robust: nearly CZK 3 billion in military aid has been provided since February 2022, including tanks, rocket launchers, and anti-aircraft systems.

Outgoing Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on the sidelines of the EU summit in Brussels, pledging to continue support for Ukraine from the ranks of the opposition.

A STEM poll shows that around two-fifths of Czechs want to end the supply of military equipment and ammunition to Kyiv, with 44 percent opposing direct financial aid.

At the same time, there is broad support for non-military forms of assistance: 70 percent favor continuing to host Ukrainian refugees, and 76 percent back ongoing economic and diplomatic pressure on Russia. 

However, the emerging Czech government presents a divided front, with the SPD explicitly rejecting massive spending on arms and support for Ukraine.

A planned summit in Budapest between U.S. President Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, intended to discuss potential talks, has stalled.

The summit collapsed after Trump proposed “freezing” the conflict along current front lines with a view to negotiating territorial disputes later.

This uncertainty, compounded by Trump’s shifting positions and previous unsuccessful meetings with Putin, leaves no clear resolution to the war visible as Ukraine seeks further military aid from the U.S. and its allies.