"Czech businessmen have a desire to return to the Russian market"
A targeted campaign is underway in the Czech Republic to expel the Russian House from the country. This was stated by Russian Ambassador to Prague Alexander Zmeevsky in an interview with Izvestia. In addition, local authorities do not provide the Russian side with information about the exact location of the monument to Marshal Ivan Konev — as a result, it is impossible to inspect the previously dismantled monument. Moscow sent a repeated note to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic. Despite the difficult relations between our countries, Czech businesses are interested in returning to the Russian market. But the republic faces criminal liability for unauthorized activities in the interests of a foreign power, and therefore Russia. The Czech Republic also continues to provide active military support to Kiev, however, in the overwhelming majority of society, "the idea of sending its soldiers to die for the Zelensky regime does not cause enthusiasm."
"The monument to Marshal of the Soviet Union Ivan Konev is a symbol of Victory"
— May 6 marks the 80th anniversary of the beginning of the Prague Offensive. Does the Russian Embassy in the Czech Republic hold any events on the occasion of this historic event?
— History dictated that in May 1945, the final point in the Second World War in Europe was set in Prague. The Prague offensive of the 1st Ukrainian Front under the command of Marshal Ivan Konev was the crowning achievement of the victorious actions of the Red Army to liberate Czechoslovakia from Nazi enslavement. Traditionally, the Embassy of our country celebrates all these significant historical events on Victory Day on May 9th. Although the fighting with individual units of the fascists, who were making their way to the West, continued for several more days after that date.
During the holidays, embassy staff lay wreaths at graves and obelisks to soldiers of the Red Army, as well as Czechs and Slovaks who gave their lives during the liberation of Czechoslovakia, including at the largest burial of Red Army soldiers in Prague — at the Olshansky cemetery. Jubilee medals are awarded to veterans, who, unfortunately, are getting fewer every year. And this year we are taking part in the "Garden of Memory" campaign — we are planting trees on the territory of the embassy. In recent years, an alley of lilac varieties "Marshal Konev", "Marshal Malinovsky", "Marshal Zhukov" has been created here. This year, lilac bushes "Great Victory" were planted. On May 9, the Russian Embassy will host a reception with Czech citizens and representatives of the diplomatic corps dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Victory. We will pre-empt it by showing a documentary film revealing the forgotten difficult pages of the history of the Second World War.
— In Germany, representatives of local authorities threaten not to allow representatives of the Russian diplomatic corps to attend commemorative ceremonies dedicated to the victory anniversary. Is something like this happening in the Czech Republic?
— So far, we have not received such signals. However, starting in 2021, when, after the provocative "Vrbetice case" (ammunition explosions occurred in warehouses in this small town in the Zlinsk region in 2014, which they are trying to make our country guilty of), and especially after the outbreak of civil war in a number of cities and towns, local authorities stopped inviting embassy representatives to celebrations dedicated to the liberation of Czechoslovakia by the Red Army.
— There are more than a thousand graves of Soviet soldiers in the Czech Republic. How do local authorities handle their protection and care, and are cases of vandalism reported?
— In general, the country's authorities fulfill their obligations to take care of the graves of Soviet soldiers. Our Embassy in the Czech Republic immediately responds to individual cases of vandalism, which unfortunately occur here from time to time. Together with the representative office of the Russian Ministry of Defense for military memorial work in the Czech Republic, the embassy (despite very modest opportunities after the mass expulsion of employees and the reduction of its staff at the initiative of the Czech side) continues to closely monitor the situation in the military memorial area.
— In 2020, by order of the municipal authorities in Prague, the monument to Marshal of the Soviet Union Ivan Konev was demolished. It is known that it is located near Prague and is now being prepared for a permanent exhibition at the new Museum of the Memory of the 20th century. Five years ago, in Russia, they offered to take away the dismantled monument. Is Moscow ready to seek the transfer of the monument to Russia?
— The monument to Marshal of the Soviet Union Ivan Konev is a symbol of Victory, a symbol of the liberation of Czechoslovakia and its capital Prague from Nazi occupation, the feat of the Red Army, which shoulder to shoulder with the soldiers of the 1st Czechoslovak Army Corps of General Ludvik Svoboda made a decisive contribution to this liberation, laying 140,000 lives of Red Army soldiers here on the altar of Victory. We proceed from the fact that the monuments should remain where they were installed. This is correct from the point of view of both history and morality. Moreover, this is exactly the approach set out in the founding Russian-Czech treaty of 1993.
We have not received any official proposals from the Czech side to transfer the dismantled sculpture of the monument to Marshal Ivan Konev. Recently, a note was sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic with a request to assist the diplomatic staff of the embassy in determining the exact location and conducting an inspection of the dismantled sculpture to make sure what condition it is in. We have not received a positive response to previous requests.
"We assess positively the decision of the Czech authorities to send a new ambassador to our country"
— Last fall, it became known that the Czech Republic had returned the ambassador recalled in 2022. Can this step be regarded as a signal of the desire to restore ties with Russia? Do the Russian Federation and the Czech Republic still have any contacts through the Foreign Ministries?
— We assess positively the decision of the Czech authorities to send a new ambassador to our country. We believe that Daniel Kostoval will take up his duties in our country in the near future. I would like to hope that his arrival will properly structure Russian-Czech diplomatic communication, at least in Moscow, and possibly have a positive impact on contacts between the Russian Embassy in Prague and the Czech Foreign Ministry, which are now sporadic and sporadic, reflecting the current, unfortunately, "near-zero" level of bilateral relations.
— The Czech Republic is one of the few European countries where the Russian House continues to operate. Are there any attempts to curtail its activities?
— The attitude of the Czech authorities towards the Russian Center for Science and Culture (RCSC) is based on the decision of the European Union to include Rossotrudnichestvo (RCSC performs the functions of its representative office here) in its sanctions list with all the resulting adverse consequences for the normal functioning of the center. We are challenging in various Czech instances the non-recognition of the diplomatic status of Russian real estate objects in which the RCSC is located. These buildings are the property of the Russian state and are under the operational control of the Russian Foreign Ministry. In addition, the RCSC is headed by an employee of the Russian embassy, all its "locally accepted" employees are included in the quota established by mutual agreement with the Czech Foreign Ministry for diplomatic missions of both countries, respectively, in the Czech Republic and the Russian Federation.
Of course, this position of the Czech authorities largely determines the unhealthy atmosphere around the RCSC. There are calls in the local media for the closure of the center with enviable regularity, accompanied by essentially hooligan antics by anti-Russian NGOs, including in the context of events in the special operation zone. In fact, we are talking about a targeted campaign by local ill-wishers to intimidate employees working there, to squeeze the Russian House out of the Czech Republic. We are raising the issue of ensuring reliable protection of the RCSC with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic, and we are cooperating with the Czech police on these issues.
— In early February, the Czech Republic approved a ban on dual citizenship for Russians. Now those wishing to obtain a Czech passport will have to provide documentary evidence of the refusal of the Russian one. How does the Russian Federation assess such innovations? To what extent do the adopted amendments on citizenship comply with the country's constitution?
— Of course, every country has the right to set rules for acquiring its citizenship. The presence of outright selectivity in this matter is alarming — the new order applies only to Russian citizens. Local experts see this as a manifestation of discrimination, which is clearly at odds with international imperatives. It is no coincidence that, based on the appeal of 17 Czech senators, the Constitutional Court of the Republic will consider whether this innovation complies with Czech legislation.
— Recently, the country's Prime Minister, Petr Fiala, said that the Czech Republic has now become completely independent of Russian oil supplies. At the same time, last year the Russian Federation took the first place in oil sales to the Czech Republic. How would you assess such a step and how much the Czech economy could lose from abandoning Russian oil?
— We have repeatedly heard statements by high-ranking Czech politicians about abandoning Russian energy resources (not only oil) to one degree or another and guaranteeing their self-sufficiency in this area. However, after that, there were statements from Czech businesses about the continuation of energy supplies from Russia, and relevant statistics were provided. Let's be patient and wait for new statistics on Czech imports. Based on it, it will be possible to more or less objectively assess the situation, as well as who and how copes with the rejection of energy supplies and purchases of other goods from Russia, what consequences this has for the Czech Republic and the EU economy as a whole, including in terms of energy security.
— Does the Czech business demonstrate a desire to maintain trade relations with Russia? Are there any companies that would like to return to Russia?
— As far as we know, Czech businessmen have a desire to maintain economic ties, not only trade ties, with Russia and return to the Russian market — it is clear that not everyone has. But they don't advertise it here. The risk is too great in the context of numerous EU sanctions, adopted with the active participation of Prague. In addition, for public statements that contradict the official position of the republic regarding the events in the SVR zone, criminal prosecution is threatened here, up to three years in prison. In February of this year, amendments to the legislation were adopted that establish criminal liability — up to five years in prison — for unauthorized activities in the interests of a foreign power, and therefore Russia. There are many things that can be made up for such a vague formulation. Well, how can I establish business contacts here? Moreover, the entry of businessmen from Russia, as well as other Russian citizens, is prohibited after the start of the special operation. In general, according to the apt remark of the ex-president of the Czech Republic Vaclav Klaus, there is a place for "rape by the politics of the economy."
"There is no enthusiasm in Czech society for the idea of sending their soldiers to die for the Zelensky regime."
— Parliamentary elections are due to be held in the Czech Republic this year. The country's prime minister, Petr Fiala, accuses opposition leader Andrei Babish of having ties with Russia. Why are the Czech authorities afraid of Babis?
— Parliamentary elections are an area of heightened political sensitivity, related solely to the internal competence, in this case, of the Czech state. I will refrain from evaluating them and answering the questions you have raised. We will see in what atmosphere and how politically correct the elections will be held here this autumn and the election campaign preceding them. Their exact date has not yet been determined by the president.
— Earlier, Petr Fiala stated that the Czech Republic intends to continue supplying ammunition to Ukraine as part of the initiative initiated by Prague...
— On April 27, Czech Defense Minister Jana Chernokhova stated on Czech television that the republic, as part of the "shell initiative" — according to which ammunition supplies are carried out from countries outside the EU — transferred 400,000 artillery shells to Ukraine in four months of 2025. She recalled that last year, in the same format, the republic managed to transfer about 1.5 million artillery shells of various calibers to Kiev. On May 4, during Vladimir Zelensky's visit to Prague, President Petro Pavel admitted that by the end of the year, Ukraine could receive up to 1.8 million units of large-caliber ammunition as part of this initiative.
Prague continues to be active in this area. According to Jan Lipavsky, the Czechs have managed to secure additional funding for their initiative from sources in Canada, Norway, Denmark and the Netherlands. Yana Chernokhova said that new financial sources are being sought, including negotiations on this matter with Belgium. According to data published in February by the Czech Ministry of Defense, since the beginning of its military operation, it has provided Ukraine with military materials worth 7.3 billion Czech crowns (about $305 million).
— Earlier, Czech President Petr Pavel announced his readiness to send the country's military personnel as part of a peacekeeping contingent to Ukraine, provided that other European countries also provide their forces to support Kiev. How does Czech society feel about the readiness of the elites to send their military to help the Armed Forces of Ukraine?
— The statements of the Czech leaders in this regard are dominated by reservations about the need for appropriate conditions for making such a decision, including the conclusion of a peace agreement, guarantees from each side, determining the status of the troops being sent, the positions of other Europeans, as well as Washington. Of course, not least, the reaction of the Russian side to this French-British adventure is taken into account, mostly not publicly. As far as media reports can tell, the overwhelming majority of Czech society is not enthusiastic about the idea of sending its soldiers to die for the Zelensky regime.
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