Czechs contribute EUR 27 million towards armament shipments to Ukraine

Czechia’s Ministry of Defence says 100,000 Czechs have coughed up over EUR 27 million through a crowdfunding campaign which began last month to send weapons to Ukraine, writes Prague Morning. Funds from the campaign, intended for weapons and military supplies, are being sent directly to Ukraine’s embassy in Prague. Czechia has already sent about EUR 30 million worth of military aid to Ukraine, including ammunition, machine guns and anti-aircraft missiles, the article adds.

Meanwhile, CNN reported yesterday that Slovakia is laying the groundwork to send Ukraine a key Soviet-era air defence system to help it defend against air attacks by Russian forces, but only if Bratislava is assured they will receive Western replacements like US Patriot air defence missiles. Germany and the Netherlands say the Patriots are already on their way. Euractiv writes that both Slovakia and Bulgaria own Soviet-era S-300 surface-to-air missile systems, which Ukrainian servicemen would be capable of operating. It adds that US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin is scheduled to visit Bratislava and Sofia following a meeting of NATO’s Defence Ministers Meeting in Brussels next Wednesday.

To the south of Europe, defence is also in focus. Euractiv also reported on Thursday that in order to support “NATO’s collective defence in Southeast Europe”, US forces are deploying two F-16 Fighting Falcon fighters from Ramstein Air Base in Germany to an airbase in Croatia for exercises with their Croatian counterparts.

Source: Prague Morning, Euractiv, Euractiv