Russian ambassador in Czechia wants to invite military experts

The Russian ambassador to Czechia said at a meeting of Czech communists that she would like to bring Russian military experts to the country to “explain” the course of the war to Czechs. The KSČM meeting took place on Monday, October 12, at the communists’ headquarters on Politických vězňů Street.

One older Czech asked why, after 4.5 years, Russia had finally started bombing bridges, since “war is above all about communications.” He suggested the embassy invite someone from Russia, where, he said, there is a “mass of military specialists” who can “explain everything clearly.”

“Now I see that we really should organize an event and bring our military experts to explain such specific things,” the ambassador replied. She then repeated Vladimir Putin’s words: Russia supposedly never waged war on the Ukrainian people, which explains the “very specific character” of the war, including its name, “special military operation.” In her words, Russia has acted very cautiously in Ukraine from the start, with regard for the country’s residents.

What the facts say

These words contradict reality. Since the beginning of the invasion, Russian strikes have been killing Ukrainian civilians, and some attacks deliberately target them. According to the UN, at least 328 civilians were killed in September alone, 372 in August and 437 in July. In total, from February 24, 2022 to the end of July this year, Russian forces killed at least 16,874 civilians, and the real figure is higher. The best-known crime is the massacre in Bucha, where Russian soldiers killed hundreds of Ukrainians and buried them in a mass grave in a forest.

Next to Josef Skála

The ambassador sat to the right of the communist Josef Skála. In June 2023, the Municipal Court in Prague gave him a suspended sentence for denying, questioning, approving or justifying genocide and war crimes.

Ponomareva became ambassador at the end of June this year, taking over from Alexander Zmeyevsky. She aims to be more visible in Czech public life, which her appearance at the meeting of communists and their supporters helped with. She also drew the attention of Czech media with an interview for a Russian state news agency that is under EU sanctions for spreading Russian propaganda: in it she accused Czechia of Russophobia and primitive propaganda.

The ambassador has also previously questioned Russia’s involvement in the ammunition depot explosions in Vrbětice, in which two Czech citizens died. Czech authorities proved that Russian GRU agents Alexander Mishkin and Anatoly Chepiga were behind them. Ponomareva, however, claims that Europeans use the Vrbětice explosions to “stir up Russophobia and damage relations with Russia.”

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz