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Even if the fighting in Ukraine ends, Russia will not become friendlier or more predictable, Chief of the General Staff Karel Řehka said in a debate programme on Czech Television on Sunday, stressing the need to further expand the army’s capacity.
Mr. Řehka questioned the feasibility of increasing the number of professional soldiers to 37,500, calling for a thorough analysis. Given demographic trends and current recruitment levels, he said the goal is unrealistic, and alternative army models should be considered.
Under current plans, the Czech army aims to have 30,000 professional soldiers and 10,000 active reservists by 2030. Currently, the army has about 23,600 troops, with only 1,000 added in the past five years. The updated army development strategy, expected to be approved this year, envisions growing the force to 37,500, meaning an increase of roughly 14,000 soldiers over the next decade.
Czechia has supplied Ukraine with 1.6 million rounds of large-caliber ammunition through its international initiative, President Petr Pavel said on Saturday at the Munich Security Conference. According to Mr. Pavel, allies have provided enough resources to continue supplying Ukraine until at least April.
The initiative, proposed by Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala last February, sources artillery shells from outside the European Union, with financial support from other European countries. At last year’s Munich conference, Pavel revealed plans to procure 800,000 grenades for Ukraine. This year, he discussed further funding with allies.
In January, Ukrainian officials confirmed that 80% of the promised ammunition had already been delivered.
Vladimír Válek, long-time conductor of the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra (PRSO), has died at the age of 89. Czech Radio confirmed the news on Sunday.
Mr. Válek led the PRSO from 1985 to 2011 and also conducted the Prague Symphony Orchestra. Over his career, he worked with top ensembles, including the Czech Philharmonic and Japan’s Osaka Symphony Orchestra. He was also a respected teacher.
In 2010, he received the Medal of Merit from President Václav Klaus. Among many honors, he earned the Classic Prague Awards for Lifetime Achievement in 2021.
Born in 1935 in Nový Jičín, he studied trombone, viola, and conducting before founding the Dvořák Chamber Orchestra in 1970.
The opposition ANO Party is poised to win the Czech parliamentary elections in early February with 34.1% of the vote, according to a recent poll conducted by STEM for CNN Prima News. This puts ANO ahead of the Together coalition at 19% and the Mayors and Independents at 11.1%.
Tomio Okamura’s anti-EU Freedom and Direct Democracy Party, the Enough! coalition and the Pirates would also secure seats in the lower house, while the Motorists’ party would fall short of the 5% threshold. These findings are based on the latest STEM electoral model published by CNN Prima News, with results largely unchanged from last week's poll.
In terms of seats, ANO would secure 86 MPs, while the current governing coalition would win 70. The Freedom and Direct Democracy Party would earn 19 seats, the Enough! coalition 16, and the Pirates 9.
Police evacuated Prague's Municipal House (Obecní dům) on Saturday night following a bomb threat during the Czech Ball, forcing around 500 guests to leave the event. Bomb disposal experts searched the building, but no explosive device was found.
Just after 11 p.m., police confirmed there was no danger, and the ball resumed after more than an hour. Authorities are now searching for the person behind the false alarm, who could face charges for spreading panic.
Prague police announced the evacuation at 9:45 p.m. on social media, with spokeswoman Eva Kropáčová confirming the search and temporary closure of the surrounding area for safety reasons.
Meteorologists have issued a warning for severe frosts across Czechia, with temperatures plunging to –10 to –15°C, especially in the northern regions, from Monday to Thursday. The Czech Hydrometeorological Institute reported temperatures already dipping below –15°C in some areas on the night from Saturday to Sunday.
People were advised to dress in multiple layers, wear suitable footwear, and limit outdoor exposure, especially for children, the elderly, and those in poor health. A severe cold warning will be in effect from midnight Monday to Thursday morning for northern areas. The warning will extend Tuesday to parts of the Plzeň and Vysočina regions. Frost conditions are expected to ease later in the week.
Monday will be mostly clear to partly cloudy, with occasional light snow, mainly in the western Bohemia and Silesia. Highs between -3 and +1°C, colder in the mountains.
The Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra has received three nominations for this year’s Anděl Awards, due to be handed out in April. Today’s edition of Sunday Music Show will profile one of the CDs, nominated in the Classical Music category. Called Forgotten Czech Piano Concertos, it contains works by 19th and 20th-century composers who have not achieved the same level of recognition as Dvořák or Martinů.
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