Did Danuse Nerudova, a member of the European Parliament for the STAN Czech government party, known for its staunch support of Ukraine, appear on the Czech state television as a young girl, reciting a poem admiring the communist regime in the former Soviet Union and Stalin? No, that's not true: Nerudova confirmed to Lead Stories that she is not the girl in the video being circulated on social media.
The claim appeared in a video (archived here), published on TikTok on April 18, 2025. It shows a young girl wearing the uniform of a former Czech youth communist association, called "Pionýr" or "Pioneer" in English, reciting a poem full of admiration for the Soviet Union and its former leader, Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin. The Czech text overlay reads, translated by Lead Stories staff:
Something from the archives. Miss Danuse Nerudova.
(Source: TikTok screenshot taken on Wed Apr 23 08:27:03 2025 UTC)
The girl in the above video is reciting a poem called "Janino prani" or "Jane's Wish" (archived here), as translated by Lead Stories staff, by Marie Duskova, which was published in the children's magazine "Materidouska" in 1951 (archived here). After the communists took power in the then-Czechoslovakia in 1948, the magazine was used to spread propaganda for the Soviet Union, and the cult of Stalin among children. The girl also wears the uniform of a "pioneer," a member of the communist youth association (archived here), which replaced traditional ones such as the Boy Scouts after the communists banned them.
The text of the poem, which the girl recites in the video, says in Czech, translated by Lead Stories staff: "I have only one fervent wish, it is hard to put into words. You know, Dad, I would like to go to Moscow, to Stalin. I would like to tell him of our sincere love. I would tell him for all the children in my class!".
The video also features Soviet communist graphic symbols, such as the five-pointed red star (archived here), a hammer, and a sickle, associated with the Soviet Union. The watermark in the upper left corner shows a former logo of the state television channel CT2 (archived here), which was used by the network around 2011. Likely, the original video, probably recorded before the Velvet Revolution in 1989 (archived here), was replayed on CT2 when the channel used that logo, as the recording contains it. The video could also be a re-enactment of the communist propaganda recorded later.
While the girl in the video may share some physical traits that bear a resemblance with Danuse Nerudova (archived here), a member of the European Parliament for the government STAN party (archived here), - the blond hair, in particular - the Czech politician has denied that it's her. Nerudova stated in an email to Lead Stories on April 21, 2025, "Of course it is fake," when asked about the video and whether the girl in it was her.
Nerudova, who also unsuccessfully ran for president in the 2023 election, is known for her staunch support (archived here) of Ukraine and criticism of Putin´s regime. During the campaign, she was a target of a disinformation campaign (see screenshot below). She is often attacked by anti-government trolls on social media (archived here). 
(Source: Seznam Zpravy website screenshot taken on Wed Apr 23 10:30:03 2025 UTC)
