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The Western world must prepare itself for the possibility that the war in Ukraine will not end according to its expectations, the former chief of staff of the Czech Armed Forces, General Jiří Šedivý, said in an interview for the ctk news agency. The general, who earlier served as Czechia’s permanent representative to NATO, said that alongside an “ideal scenario” which envisages a complete victory for Ukraine there is a real possibility of the war dragging on with painful twists and turns, mainly because Russia’s human resources potential is much bigger than that of Ukraine and Putin could call another mobilization in the coming months. General Šedivý said he also shares the concerns expressed by the former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger regarding the dangers stemming from the new dynamics in relations between Russia and China.

Prime Minister Petr Fiala told the nation in his New Year's Day address that although the coming year will not be easy, Czechia will make it through, just like it has survived other crises during the past 30 years. In the speech, broadcast live on Czech television, he said that although the country is going through a difficult period, there is no reason to lose hope. He believes that the measures taken by the government and the Czech National Bank will start to have a positive effect on inflation soon, with prices beginning to decrease this year already.

He also recalled the peaceful division of Czechoslovakia 30 years ago, and said that Czechs can be proud of the path that Czechia has taken since then and the continuing excellent relations with Slovakia.

He emphasised the solidarity of Czech people in critical moments, such as during natural disasters, saying it is something that fundamentally shapes the character of the country. He also highlighted the country's support of war refugees from Ukraine.

He rejected the idea that the Czech Republic is a small and insignificant state, calling it "an important, medium-sized European country" and saying that Czechs need to realize this and learn to think and act accordingly. He believes that the Czech EU presidency, which ended on Saturday, is a good example of such an approach, where the competence of the Czech Republic was appreciated and EU partners were therefore willing to accept Czech proposals and ideas.

The minimum wage increased to CZK 17,300 as of January 1, 2023. The salaries of policemen, firefighters and soldiers were raised by 10%, and the salaries of top politicians, judges and prosecutors by 12.7%. Pensions and child benefits also increased.

The record for the highest-ever January temperature in Czechia was broken on New Year's Day. A balmy 19.6 degrees Celsius was recorded in Javorník in the Olomouc region in the morning, breaking the previous record of 18.8 degrees, recorded in Vaňov in the Ústí nad Labem region on January 29, 2002.

Record New Year's Day temperatures were recorded at around 80 percent of Czechia's 162 measuring stations with at least a thirty-year archive of measurements.