What is said in the Czech Republic about the war in Ukraine? Some of the answers are surprising

Olomouc, mid-October. There are no crowds in the Old Town before noon. They are seen in the summer, when the city is visited in large numbers by tourists from Poland and abroad who want to admire local monuments.

The Old Town of Olomouc is the second largest cluster of historic buildings, churches and tenement houses in the Czech Republic, after Prague.

In October, the tourists were replaced by students starting the new academic year at Palacky University – a renowned university whose faculties are located in both historic and modern complexes in the old city. Students moving between departments make it seem as if Olomouc was taken over exclusively by 20-somethings.

I talk to two young women standing in front of an exhibition in a tenement house on the edge of Olomouc's Market Square. They are very surprised when I take out my ID and explain to them that I am a Polish journalist. They are even more surprised when, instead of asking about local monuments, which they probably expected, I ask whether they “feel safe.”

— In general, yes, the Czech Republic is a safe country. There is no banditry here, no street crime. You can easily go out with a friend in the evening and walk back at night, because no one will probably attack you – replies one of my interlocutors.

I quickly explain that my question is about a broader context. I would like to know what today's young Czechs think about the security of their own country in the era of the rapidly changing international situation.

Both young women look at each other meaningfully. Finally, one of them shrugs and admits that I have to look for other interlocutors on this matter.

— Honestly, I don't have much knowledge about what's happening in the world and in Europe today, says Magda. — I know there is a war in Ukraine and the situation in Gaza is tragic. However, I think that it applies very little to me personally. I don't feel like these conflicts are affecting my life in any way. Maybe I'm ignorant, but in the short term, I think more about where to go to a party this weekend, how to save up for a new iPhone or where to go on holiday with my friends next year. I'm in my third year of interior design. I still have two years until the end of my studies, so I'm not even wondering where I will work after graduating from university – she adds, and her friend nods.

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I heard very similar statements several times that day. Not only from younger people, but also from middle-aged Czechs. For the latter, the war in Europe is also “somewhere far away” and has no direct impact on their own lives.

— If I'm worried about anything in the context of the war in Ukraine, it's mainly this this prolonged conflict is causing damage to my portfolio – says Vaclaw, a 50-year-old taxi driver from Olomouc.

— Fuel is getting more expensive, as are gas and electricity. After the outbreak of the war and all the energy changes that the European Union is introducing to cut itself off from Russian gas and oil, we “ordinary people” simply live a little poorer today – he adds.

My Czech interlocutors eventually convince me in passing that, in fact, the citizens of this country in 2025 feel very safe.

According to a survey conducted in Poland in mid-September, as many as 55 percent citizens are afraid that the war in Ukraine may one day spread to our country. There is no such fear in the Czech Republic. The local society has very little knowledge about the war in Ukraine. Many people I asked couldn't even answer how long the Russian invasion of Ukraine has been going on.

— This war is not the main news in our media. Our se to netýká [my odczuwamy, że nas to nie dotyczy] – Vaclaw points out.

There are of course exceptions. I also met Sabina and Werka on the streets of Olomouc. The young women were also students of Palacky University.

— I am aware that I am living in a period of great historical breakthrough. I grew up in a kind of “new Belle époque of the 21st century.” – points out Werka. — Since the fall of communism in the Czech Republic, the standard of living has been systematically rising, de facto we have already caught up with Western Europe and it was very safe. I think this is changing. I am very afraid that a war will break out in my lifetime, and it will not take place far beyond our borders, but in the Czech Republic.. Maybe not today or tomorrow, but in a year or two it's possible, he says.

A Onet journalist talking to Sabina and Werka on the streets of OlomoucTomasz Mateusiak/Onet / Onet

In turn, Sabina admits that she was terrified when in September, Russian drones entered Polish territory. — This was no longer an incident in Ukraine, with which we are not a neighbor, but in our neighbor. From what I read, some of the drones fell near Łódź. I checked that it was about 250 km from the Czech border. Literally “on the doorstep,” he points out.

In an interview with Onet, both students of the political science department emphasize that their knowledge of the current geopolitical situation both in Europe and in the world is something that is not very common in the Czech Republic.

— But really, is there any reason to be surprised if our own governments, both the outgoing one and the future one of Andrej Babisz, do not invest almost at all in concepts such as civil defense or military training? – Sabina asks.

— There are no shelters being built in our country today, there is no general defense training program for the population, or even territorial defense troops. There is not much talk about the need to expand the army or buy new equipment for it – he shakes his head.

The Czech Supreme Audit Office indicates that the country is not prepared for the possible defense of its citizens

The words of my interlocutors are also confirmed by the report of the Supreme Audit Office of the Czech Republic [NKU to odpowiednik naszej Najwyższej Izby Kontroli] of April 2024. According to the auditors, both the central institutions in Prague and Czech local governments have not drawn any conclusions after the COVID-19 pandemic or they do not respond appropriately to the changing geopolitical situation in the world.

In Czech cities, you can see the Ukrainian flag on public institutions much less often than in Poland. In the center of Olomouc it was only displayed on the building of the Art MuseumTomasz Mateusiak/Onet / Onet

The office inspected the civil defense system and found it defective. According to inspectors, people are not sufficiently informed, there is a lack of masks and permanent shelters. The existing ones can only serve 3.2%. population. The current report again highlights errors.

An audit at the Ministry of Defense showed that the ministry was unable to effectively spend the money allocated to it. A risk was also noticed in the way the ministry recently concluded contracts for the supply of arms. They are implemented through intergovernmental agreements or contracts are signed directly with suppliers without a tender procedure. According to NKU, this may lead to ineffective and wasteful use of funds.