The Czech Republic shows excellent skills searching and delivering ammunition to Ukraine around the world and fears no revenge.
Czech President Petr Pavel said at the Munich Security Conference that Prague would act as an intermediary for the delivery of "hundreds of thousands of artillery shells” to Ukraine.
According to him, this can be done in weeks if partners in the USA, Germany, Sweden and other countries ensure appropriate funding. Pavel later said at a press conference that he did not foresee any problems with raising money for the purchase of ammunition.
"We have identified half a million 155-mm ammunition and 300,000 of 122-mm shells,” Pavel said but declined to specify any countries "for obvious reasons.” For political reasons, they may not find this acceptable, the Czech president clarified.
In early February, Politico reported that the Czech Republic was interested in ammunition from arms companies in South Korea, Turkey or South Africa.
Defense Minister Jana Cernochova said in an interview with Czech Radio Plus that the Czech government had been collecting information about availability of ammunition in foreign countries for long already.
There are many of those who want to supply ammunition through the Czech Republic, Cernochova said. She specifically mentioned Canada, the Netherlands or Scandinavian countries. Others want to remain anonymous for "fear of retaliation," she said adding that logistics could be arranged in three months.
At the same time, recalling the "sabotage actions that Russian special services staged in Vrbetice,” Cernochová assured that "some of the military equipment that will be transported will not end up in the Czech Republic at all.”
The Czech Republic has been supplying its own weapons to Ukraine as well. These are T-72A tanks, 130 infantry fighting vehicles and dozens of cars. The "gifts" include 13 self-propelled howitzers and 12 Vampire missile launchers complete with shells. In addition, the Ministry of Defense said that the Czech Republic also donated 128 mortars with ammunition and tens of thousands of small arms with millions of rounds of ammunition.
Moscow made it clear that Prague was involved in the shelling of Belgorod as Ukraine attacked the city from RM-70 Vampire missile launchers. Russia wanted the Czech Ambassador to the UN to explain the participation of the Czech Republic in the killings of civilian population in Russia, but the official refused to explain anything.
At the same time, the Czech Republic started buying Russian gas through Slovakia at an exponential rate, while the Czech population is led to believe that their country does not depend on Russian natural gas at all. The Czech government thus sponsors both the Russian economy and the Russian army.