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According to the head of the Security Information Service Michal Koudelka, Europe is not facing the threat of a massive Russian attack like the one against Ukraine. He considers it more likely that one member state of the NATO, probably in the Baltic region, could be attacked in order to test the alliance’s response.

“It is necessary to unequivocally declare unity and determination to defend ourselves, which is the only way to deter the Russian aggressor from this very dangerous adventure,” Koudelka said today at a security conference in the Chamber of Deputies, adding that Western countries should neither place too much trust in Russian promises nor give in excessively to Russian threats. “We should assess everything with courage and a cool head,” the head of the counterintelligence service said.

The current security situation is the most serious and complex since the Cold War, and Europe is facing a combination of major armed conflicts, hybrid threats, and shifts in the global balance of power. This was stated at the conference Current Security Threats by Chief of the General Staff Karel Řehka. However, he emphasized that the situation is manageable if states act in time and consistently.

“I have no doubt that, in the worst case, the situation could develop into something that would be a tragedy for the Czech Republic. But I also have no doubt that it is manageable. It depends only on us,” Řehka said.

Řehka stated that the current conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East are fundamentally changing the nature of warfare and bringing both direct and indirect consequences for the Czech Republic. According to him, these developments should be reflected in both Czech and European security and foreign policy.

The first-ever Sudeten German congress held in Czechia concludes in Brno on Monday with a memorial ceremony honouring victims of Nazism at Kounic Halls, a site where the Nazis imprisoned and executed Czech resistance members. The gathering, hosted as part of the Meeting Brno festival over the weekend, included events focused on reconciliation, remembrance and Czech-German dialogue. But the congress also drew protests from critics who pointed to the role of many Sudeten Germans in the destruction of pre-war Czechoslovakia and rejected any questioning of the post-war Beneš decrees. Several thousand demonstrators gathered in central Brno on Sunday.

Several thousand opponents of the Sudeten German congress gathered in central Brno on Saturday to protest against the first-ever holding of the event in Czechia. Former president Miloš Zeman drew applause after telling the crowd that Sudeten Germans had been a fanatical part of the Nazi movement and later acted against Czech interests. Communist leader Kateřina Konečná and Slovak MEP Ľuboš Blaha also addressed the rally. Protesters marched through the city carrying Czech flags and banners rejecting reconciliation with the Sudeten German association, while the congress itself continued at Brno’s exhibition grounds.