Czechia Braces for Hybrid Threats: Even an SPD Minister Admits the Escalation

Members of the Czech government are increasingly speaking openly about the threats the country faces from Russia. Following Monday's cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Andrej Babiš said that Czechia will honour Article 5 of the NATO treaty on collective defence — a response to remarks by Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who said he did not want Slovakia dragged into a military conflict "over some Article 5."

President Petr Pavel, currently in New York for the UN General Assembly, called any doubts about Article 5 or NATO membership "dangerous" given the current security situation. Both Babiš and Pavel stressed that there is no immediate direct threat to Czechia at the moment — though, according to the president, Moscow could still be preparing a larger-scale hybrid attack.

Defence Minister Speaks of a Turning Point

Earlier on Monday, Defence Minister Jiří Zůna (SPD) also addressed the escalating situation in Europe while speaking at a seminar titled "Comprehensive Review of Crisis, Defence and Related Legislation." According to him, the security environment is undergoing its most dramatic transformation in the last decade — with threats ranging from a classic military scenario in Europe to hybrid interference, economic dependency, and disruptions to supplies of critical raw materials.

Zůna and Interior Minister Lubomír Metnar (ANO) were tasked two months ago with overhauling defence and security legislation, with a deadline of July 2026. Although the SPD has traditionally opposed increases in military spending, the minister openly praised the record boost in defence funding planned for next year, calling it both a fulfilment of NATO commitments and an investment in the country's own security.

Warning Time Shrinks to Days

Army Chief of General Staff Miroslav Hlaváč said the likelihood of a military attack on a NATO member state has risen significantly, while the so-called "warning time" has shrunk dramatically. Just a few years ago, he noted, such warning time was measured in years — now it's a matter of weeks, or even days.

Experts agreed that a significant portion of security measures must be put in place while the country is still "at peace" — before any formal declaration of a state of threat or martial law — since Article 5 of NATO's treaty is, in itself, merely a political declaration rather than an automatic trigger for action.

Lawyers Point to Gaps in the Law

Legal scholar and lecturer Jan Kudrna highlighted a contradiction in current legislation: a state of threat to the state is formally supposed to precede martial law, yet in the event of a real escalation involving Russia, the conditions for martial law could actually be met sooner. Former Chief of General Staff Karel Řehka, speaking at a parallel seminar organised by Christian Democrat MP Jan Bartošek, pointed out that declaring crisis regimes in Czechia requires the consent of both chambers of parliament — which would struggle to convene quickly enough in the event of a sudden, large-scale crisis.

Both seminars — one hosted by the SPD, the other by the Christian Democrats, parties that rarely see eye to eye — arrived at the same conclusion: Czech society and legislation need systemic crisis readiness, including the development of volunteer networks, cybersecurity, and effective crisis communication between state institutions.

Around Prague, based on reporting by seznamzpravy.cz