May 29, 2022
Military Aid Czech Republic sends 3.5 billion crowns of aid to Ukraine
The Czech Republic has provided Ukraine with vehicles, weapons, and other military aid worth over 3.5 billion crowns, Defence Minister Jana Černochová told Czech Television today. Černochová said she will propose additional deliveries valued at 600-700 million crowns. She also confirmed that the Czech Republic is sending heavy military equipment to Ukraine.
"What matters is that the help should be continual," Černochová said. She added that the Defence Ministry was working with the Ukrainian embassy in Prague to purchase weapons and military equipment from money donated directly to the Embassy. So far, it has received in this way about 1.2 billion crowns through donations.
Černochová declined to confirm or deny the news that the Czech Republic had shipped combat helicopters to Ukraine, as was stated by U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Monday.
May 27, 2022
fake news Disinformation about Prague shops banning Ukrainians spreads online
A clothing store near Karlínské náměstí found itself in the middle of a disinformation scandal. On Thursday, a local news server published photos of two Prague shops on social media, which appeared to have "Ukrainians not allowed to enter" signs in their windows. However, the owners of both stores said that the photo, widely shared on social media, is photomontage and that they did not hang the signs, reported Aktuálně.cz.
The owner of the store said he has experienced the war himself and would never post anything like this. "I have a lot of friends from Ukraine and Russia. I'm not interested in politics at all. It's a photomontage, one hundred percent. I'm from Palestine, so I know what war means. I lost a lot of friends and family. I can't be against Ukraine, [where] there's a disaster," he said. The store owners are now considering legal advice from lawyers; they assume their competition could be behind it.
diplomacy Czech ambassador to Ukraine back in Kyiv
refugees Between 75 and 80 percent of originally registered refugees stay in Czechia
May 26, 2022
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will address both houses of the Czech parliament via a video conference on June 15, their heads Miloš Vystrčil and Markéta Pekarová Adamová told journalists today.
The Chamber of Deputies may also nominate Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for the top Czech state decoration called the Order of the White Lion. He is now on the preliminary list of the candidates, and President Miloš Zeman said in early March he had decided to comply with the proposal.
May 25, 2022
Refugees Guardian: Situation at Prague train station is "festering crisis"
British newspaper The Guardian describes the refugee situation at Prague's central train station as a "festering crisis" in an article today. The coverage describes poor conditions in which hundreds of people are sleeping at the station and discusses the attitude of Czech authorities.
Prague’s central railway station seems a picture of normality amid warm spring sunshine and the return of legions of tourists, who had been largely absent at the height of Covid... Yet just yards away, hundreds of Roma people are sheltering in the only place available to them since they joined the millions of Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion. Unlike other Ukrainians who have been offered refugee visas, these families have found they have nowhere to go and no one who wants them," the daily writes.
Czech authorities say that many refugees have dual citizenship and hold Hungarian passports which make them EU nationals. Under the rules, EU citizens are not entitled to temporary protection in the Czech Republic. Speaking to The Guardian, OPU crisis coordinator Geti Mubeen said only a fifth of refugees at the train station have Hungarian citizenship. Anti-Roma prejudice is an obstacle, he added.
Prague's mayor Zdeněk Hřib and minister of interior Vít Rakušan finally found a consensus on the refugee crisis at the Prague Main Station. Another tent camp will open in Prague's Malešice although Hřib still insists on the redistribution of refugees across regions, noting the limited capacity of schools in busy areas. Meanwhile, the artillery sent to Ukraine by the Czech Republic has been spotted fighting in southern Ukraine.
refugees Another tent camp for refugees to be set up in Prague
aid Czech tanks for Ukraine fight near Mykolaiv
May 24, 2022
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin thanked the Czech Republic for its donation of helicopters, tanks, and rocket systems to Ukraine, after a virtual meeting with representatives of allied countries. Information on the delivery of helicopters had not been previously reported. The Czech military uses Russian Mi-24/35 combat helicopters, among others. Media previously listed delivery of Dana self-propelled artillery guns, RM-70 Grad multiple rocket launchers, Soviet-made T-72 tanks, and infantry fighting vehicles. The Czech Defense Ministry declined to confirm the list and does not want to release the precise value of the military material delivered to Ukraine.
Refugees Czechia grants 2,097 temporary protection visas on Monday
schools Number of Ukrainian refugees at Czech schools grows to 29,800
SHELTER Czechia will buy accommodation containers for refugees
May 23, 2022
Refugees Thousand Ukrainian refugees hospitalized in Prague
crisis Fewer refugees stay at Prague Main Train Station
RALLY Thousands of Ukrainians in traditional clothing marched through Prague
SUPPORT Most Czechs continue to show solidarity with refugees
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