Czechia blackout: why the “72 hours” leaflet is not enough

Experts say that the “72 hours” leaflet is not enough to make people in Czechia ready for a large-scale blackout. As Novinky reported, a system for preparing the adult population for the defence of the state will not be in place by the end of 2026.

Retired general František Mičánek describes the chain of consequences of a hybrid attack, for example on an electricity substation: traffic lights fail, accidents multiply, more police take to the streets, card payments stop working and people panic and withdraw cash. Supplies of drinking water and gas are restricted, and there is no heating or light. “If an ordinary person is not prepared for this, they start to panic. And that is the worst thing that can happen in a crisis,” he said.

Intelligence services and politicians warn of such threats. These are not empty warnings: arson attacks on arms factories and sabotage of energy and transport infrastructure in Germany show as much. Security expert Vlastimil Bříza stresses: “This is not preparation for war, but for a crisis. In doing so, we also strengthen the whole state.”

Preparation of adults is lagging

The concept for preparing citizens for the defence of the state for 2025–2030, drawn up by the Ministry of Defence, admits that preparation of the adult population is not sufficiently developed and is not carried out systematically. The same document said that a system of such preparation should be created by the end of 2026, but that will not happen.

“The system as a whole will not be implemented by the end of 2026: some processes proved more time-consuming than expected,” Zdeňka Sobarňa Košvancová from the General Staff of the Czech Army told Novinky. A new deadline is not known.

In November 2025, the Ministry of the Interior and the Fire and Rescue Service issued a printed and online leaflet called “72 hours”. It explains how to get by for three days without basic services: how to stock up on water and food, what to do in a power cut, how to obtain and verify information, as well as sheltering, evacuation and helping neighbours. It was the first such nationwide campaign in Czechia.

According to Mičánek, a leaflet is not enough: “The effect is much greater when people try such a situation out themselves.” In his view, society is not interested in the topic, so the state should motivate people to take part in exercises. Bříza added that society does not need to be militarised: someone who has rehearsed a response to a crisis will react better in a real one. He called the leaflet a good start.

Finland as a model

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has also held up Finland as a model of crisis preparedness. In March 2024 she said: “We have a lot to learn from Finland,” praising the involvement of the whole of society in defence and in handling emergencies.

The country has built a nationwide network of trainers who explain in courses how to prepare for a power or water outage. Training can be ordered for a workplace, an apartment building or an association, and practical exercises are held as well. “Finns know where to go and what to do, what to take with them, where to hide in case of a threat, who will communicate with them, and how supplies of water, food and other essentials will be secured,” Mičánek said.

In September, in the Finnish city of Kuopio, more than two thousand participants rehearsed moving into a large underground shelter and staying there. It was the largest civil defence exercise in Europe since the end of the Second World War.

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Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz