Did Czech Defense Minister Jana Cernochova leave the country vulnerable by dispatching all Czech weapons to Ukraine? No, that's not true: Cernochova stated, both on a Czech state television program and in parliamentary discussions, that the country had depleted only the military resources earmarked for Ukraine. Furthermore, the Czech Republic is set to receive military equipment and financial support from NATO allies, contributing to the modernization of the Czech army.
The claim appeared in a video (archived here) on TikTok on December 2, 2023. It shows Cernochova speaking to the parliament. She said (translated from Czech to English by Lead Stories staff):
Yes, there is no more military material that we could send to Ukraine from our resources en masse, from the resources of the army of the Czech Republic. On the other hand, we can help the Ukrainians ... with training.
The text in the video read (as translated): "We have already sent all weapons to Ukraine!" The comments (as translated) said:
They gave everything away and we can defend ourselves by spitting on the aggressor!!!
Well, we've still got military clubs and military museums here. That would be a division.
If anyone attacks us now, we'll talk them down. The Russians know what they are doing.
This is what the post looked like on TikTok at the time of writing:
(Source: TikTok screenshot taken on Fri Dec 8 09:58:21 2023 UTC)
In a debate on Czech state television on November 26, 2023, Cernochova made similar statements, emphasizing the limited availability of military equipment that could be sent to Ukraine. The parliament statement faced misinterpretation, notably by ANO party leader Andrej Babis, who expressed his views in a Facebook post on December 1, 2023.
To clarify her position, Cernochova explained to DenikN on December 1, 2023, that she meant the country "only sent what it could to Ukraine." She emphasized that the military carefully assessed the items sent to Kyiv, ensuring they posed no threat to the defense capability of the Czech Republic.
Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the Czech Republic swiftly emerged as one of the initial NATO nations offering substantial military aid, valued at billions of koruna (millions in U.S. dollars). In addition to providing extensive material support, the country played a pivotal role in training numerous Ukrainian soldiers and offering medical assistance to those fighting.
The majority of the military equipment supplied by the Czechs consisted of older assets slated for eventual decommissioning, as highlighted by former vice-defense minister Daniel Kostoval in an interview with the iRozhlas news website on November 11, 2023. Kostoval commended the military's effective replacement of the donated items, deeming it "adequate."
On November 10, 2023, the Ministry of Defense released a list detailing the military equipment supplied to Ukraine, valued at 1.2 billion koruna ($53 million). Apart from specific items like medical equipment and missiles, the majority comprises military assets from the Soviet era or the period immediately following the fall of communism. The document also outlines the equipment the Czech Republic expects to receive or has received as compensation from NATO allies for its assistance to Ukraine, encompassing helicopters, tanks and substantial financial aid amounting to hundreds of millions of U.S. dollars for army modernization.
