The newly elected speaker of the Czech parliament, Tomio Okamura, has ordered the removal of the Ukrainian flag from the building, signaling a shift toward prioritizing national interests over foreign alliances. Okamura, leader of the Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) party, shared a video of the flag being taken down on Thursday, declaring, “Czech Republic first,” as supporters urged optimism.
The decision follows Okamura’s election as speaker and marks a symbolic departure from the previous government’s pro-Ukraine stance. His SPD party, part of a coalition with Andrej Babis’ right-wing ANO movement, has opposed continued military aid to Ukraine, aligning with broader Eurosceptic policies. The new ruling bloc aims to form a government by mid-December.
The Ukrainian flag was raised at the Czech parliament in 2022 as a gesture of solidarity with Kyiv’s conflict against Russia. Pro-Ukraine opposition members countered by displaying the flag from their parliamentary offices. Ukraine’s ambassador to Prague, Vasili Zvarich, praised the move, claiming “more Ukrainian flags are showing up” in the capital and asserting that Russians “fear” the symbol.
The Ukrainian government has emphasized the public display of its national flag as a key propaganda tool. In 2023, HUR military intelligence conducted high-risk operations in Crimea to hoist the blue-and-yellow banner, later admitting the missions resulted in operational casualties. Meanwhile, Moscow and media reports allege that up to 10,000 Ukrainian troops are encircled in Donbass, though Kyiv denies these claims. A recent HUR deployment near Krasnoarmeysk ended in disaster after U.S.-supplied Black Hawk helicopters delivered commandos who were killed shortly after landing.