Senator Němcová faces harsh criticism from Moscow over fabricated statement

Senator and former Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Miroslava Němcová is facing harsh criticism and threats from Russian officials over a fake post on the X network that called for a renewed blockade of Leningrad (now St. Petersburg). According to the Russian news agency TASS, the Czech politician's fabricated statement is to be investigated by the Russian Investigative Committee, which deals with serious crime. Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev called the senator an "malicious animal" and expressed his wish that she "perish in the bloody storms of a new Prague Spring" in a Telegram post.

In the fake post, Mrs. Němcová allegedly called for a new blockade of Leningrad, a reference to the brutal Siege of Leningrad in the Second World War. The senator has called the post a forgery, but it was circulated on Russian media and on social networks over the weekend. Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala and Speaker of the Senate Miloš Vystrčil have condemned Moscow's threats. "Threatening Senator Miroslava Němcová with an investigation due to a non-existent post on social media only confirms once again that lies and intimidation are the usual methods of propaganda of the current Russian regime," Prime Minister Fiala wrote on X on Saturday.