Why Russia may be behind the terrorist attack in Czechia and what problems this creates for PM Babiš

On 20 March, Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš was on his way to Hungary to take part in a conservative forum the next day (and thereby support his Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orbán ahead of parliamentary elections).

However, Babiš never made it to Budapest.

Learning mid-journey about a terrorist attack at a military factory in the city of Pardubice, he decided to urgently return to Prague and convene an emergency meeting of the National Defence Council.

Read more about the attack and its possible consequences for the head of the Czech government in the article by Yurii Panchenko, European Pravda's editor: Fire with political consequences: who attacked weapons production for the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Czechia.

Early in the morning of 20 March, a fire broke out in an industrial zone in Pardubice.

The group The Earthquake Faction claimed responsibility for the attack almost immediately.

On a social media page created just a day earlier, the group posted a video of the arson.

They stated that they had set fire to the enterprise to "put an end to its role in the ongoing Israeli genocide in Gaza".

At first, a Palestinian connection to the attack seemed entirely plausible. However, it soon emerged that the company had only discussed potential cooperation with Israel, while in fact it had orders to manufacture drones for Ukraine.

In particular, UAVs Divoká svině, funded by the volunteer initiative Dárek pro Putina (A Gift for Putin), were produced there for the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Facilities of the Ukrainian company Archer, which manufactures thermal imaging devices for the Ukrainian military, were also damaged in the fire.

Moreover, the appearance of pro-Palestinian extremists in Czechia seems unusual, given that Czech citizens generally hold pro-Israeli views and especially at a time when the conflict in Gaza is no longer in its most active phase.

All this suggests the possibility of a "false flag" operation carried out by Russia.

At present, this is one of four versions being considered by the Czech police and one of the main ones.

Certain details also point to a Russian trace. For instance, in the released video, the attackers can be seen collecting technical documentation before setting the building on fire. Such materials are unlikely to interest pro-Palestinian extremists, but could be of clear interest to Russia.

After all, this would not be the first case of Russian terrorist activity on Czech territory.

Thus, significant cuts to defense and security spending (including reductions in military funding) are becoming a problem for the Czech government.

As a result, following the emergency National Security Council meeting, Babiš called on Czech defence enterprises to strengthen their own security since the state no longer has the funds to do so.

The attack creates problems for Babiš’s government even if it was carried out by a domestic group of pro-Palestinian activists with no external ties.

However, if the investigation finds evidence of a Russian link, these problems will multiply.

Proving a Russian connection to the Pardubice attack could fundamentally reshape the political landscape, making any alliance with "friends of Putin" too toxic.

Moreover, a key topic in recent weeks in Czech politics has been the government’s intention to pass a law on foreign agents – similar to the Russian one, but even stricter. It is also believed that the bill is backed by Babiš’s advisor Natálie Vachatová, deputy leader of the openly pro-Putin party Trikolóra, whose brother lives in Russia and owns a debt collection company there (a business that typically requires good relations with security services).

And just yesterday, it became known that the government had sharply changed its plans.