News

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, together with Ukrainian officials, wants to propose to European partners who have supplied Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets that they finance the purchase of 10 Czech L-39NG Skyfox combat training aircraft for the Ukrainian Air Force, the Ukrainian site Defense Express reported on Saturday.

The specialised defence outlet said the proposal was intended for Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands and Belgium, which supply F-16s to Kyiv. Ukraine could use them not only for pilot training but also for defence against Shahed-type drones, which the Russians manufacture under the name Geran-2, it said.

Defense Express estimated the contract’s value at $250 million to $300 million, based on previous contracts for the procurement of these aircraft. Based on experience from Czech and Hungarian contracts, the first aircraft could be delivered to Ukraine as early as 2028–2029, it said.

Czech police have issued a warrant for the arrest of Jan Wolf, who is the mayor of Karviná in the Moravian-Silesian Region and has been charged in a football corruption scandal.

The Olomouc chief state prosecutor told the Czech News Agency that Mr. Wolf would likely be remanded in custody over concerns he could obstruct the investigation or influence witnesses.

For his part, Mr. Wolf said on social media that was on holiday in Croatia with the police’s knowledge, adding that he would return to office next week.

The politician was banned from soccer for 12 years and fined CZK 3 million by the Czech Football Association over the fixing of three matches. The club Karviná was expelled from the top flight over the affair.

It should be mainly sunny in Czechia on Sunday, with an average high temperature of 30 degrees Celsius. The following days are expected to see temperatures in the high 20s Celsius.

A warning strike planned for Monday will result in a one-minute delay to some Czech Television programs, including news, current affairs shows, and studio coverage of the FIFA World Cup.

Due to reduced operations, online platforms such as websites, teletext, digital services, and social media will feature more limited content than usual. The strike was declared by an employee initiative from Czech Television and Czech Radio with support from trade unions.

Employees are protesting a government-approved draft law that abolishes the current system of television and radio licence fees, replacing it with state budget funding and allocating significantly lower financial resources to public service media.