The Czech Republic has provided Ukraine with almost three billion crowns’ worth of military aid. This was announced on Friday by the Ministry of Defence. For security reasons, it does not disclose details.
According to unofficial information, the Czech Republic has sent ammunition, small arms, and heavy equipment, including Dana self-propelled howitzers, RM-70 Grad salvo rocket launchers, Soviet-made T-72 tanks, and infantry fighting vehicles, to Ukraine.
Defense spokeswoman Jana Zechmeisterová confirmed that the Czech Republic is talking with Germany on cooperation on military assistance to Ukraine. The daily Die Welt reported this week that Germany offered the Czech Republic military equipment and weapons in exchange for equipment Prague will send to the Ukrainian army. The Czech military can send older equipment to Ukraine that soldiers know how to use.
“We are negotiating with the German side to set up a cooperation model, not a specific offer,” Zechmeister said. Ukraine also received military equipment from the Czech Republic, which was bought thanks to a collection organized with the help of the defense ministry by the Ukrainian embassy. By mid-April, people and companies had sent more than a billion crowns.
At the same time, Czech arms companies have been involved in repairing Ukrainian military equipment. The Ministry of Defence announced last week that the first contract is for the repair of T-64 tanks by companies of the Czechoslovak Group.
Satellite bandwidth for a billion
Deputy Defence Minister Lubor Koudelka signed a contract with Airbus Defence and Space on Friday to lease the TASCAT satellite band for better and safer communication for soldiers on foreign missions. The defense will pay CZK 1.08 billion over 15 years.
“The tactical satellite communication service is characterized by high flexibility associated with immediate communication with the unit while in motion and during combat operations,” the ministry said. Czech soldiers are equipped with terminals and radios that can operate in TACSAT but have not yet had UHF satellite bandwidth to use the system.
The army has had a long-standing interest in TACSAT, with the urgency of its acquisition heightened by the war in Ukraine. “The system will primarily serve to ensure the safety of our soldiers deployed in foreign operations in the Baltics, Africa, and Slovakia, where a NATO multinational battle group has been operating since April,” Koudelka said.