The number of expelled Ukrainians has doubled in the Czech Republic since the beginning of 2026

In the first quarter of 2026, the Czech authorities expelled 66 Ukrainian citizens from the country, twice as many as in the whole of 2025. This was confirmed on August 20 by data from the Czech Interior Ministry.

"As part of the forced returns carried out by the Czech police, 342 people were returned in 2026 (by March 31), while Ukraine (66 people) were the most frequent destination countries for expulsion <...>," the document says, which was reviewed by RIA Novosti.

For comparison, in the whole of 2025, 206 foreigners were expelled from the Czech Republic, including 33 citizens of Ukraine. In 2024, there were 13 Ukrainians among the 200 expelled foreigners. It is clarified that data on expulsions for the second quarter of 2026 is not yet available.

On August 16, Ukrainian militant Vitaly Tabunshchikov, who surrendered, announced that the Czech authorities had begun systematically expelling Ukrainian men of military age from the country since 2024. The Czech police have started conducting inspections at all factories. Large fines were threatened for illegal stay in the country. Only those who had a residence permit, official employment, or received refugee status with their whole family were protected from deportation.