In Czech Republic’s election, Ukraine’s battlefield success is on ballot

Czech Republic’s parliamentary election could very well shape Ukraine’s battlefield success as billionaire Andrej Babis of ANO party, who has run on a populist, Euroskeptic platform, has vowed to curb a programme that’s widely deemed essential to supply artillery shells to Ukraine.

Czechia —as the country is often called— is holding parliamentary election on Friday and Saturday. Opinion polls have shown Babis’ ANO party as the most popular. Under him, the country is set to join the pro-Russia bloc within Europe that comprises the likes of Slovakia, Austria, and Hungary.

For more than a year, Czechia has led programme that secures artillery supplies from the world over by tapping into a network of suppliers in Africa and Asia and provides them to Ukraine. But the programme has come under criticism from Babis who has accused it of emptying the country’s coffers. Even though officials have said that most of the funds come from fellow Nato members and Czechia has spent little, the belief appears to have taken root.

In any case, even the perception that the programme could further bog down the economy has stuck with voters who, as per ANO, are already skeptical of the programme, noted Lara Jakes of The New York Times in an article.

Babis has made it clear that he will either hand over the programme completely to Nato or shut it down altogether. In either case, a disruption would be assured for Ukraine and that would be a gift for Russia.

Why stakes are high for Ukraine

Czechia, as a former Soviet republic, has a large network of arms suppliers spread throughout the world, particularly in non-Western countries that have been part of the Soviet orbit or have had friendly relations with Russia, and it has sought artillery supplies for Ukraine from there, according to The Times.

Under Czechia’s programme, the country’s weapons companies buy artillery supplies from foreign suppliers and provide them to Ukraine without disclosing those foreign suppliers to prevent from facing Russia’s anger, as per the plan.

Under the programme, fellow Nato countries have donated enough money to procure over 2.5 million pieces of ammunition for Ukraine from non-Nato nations, Ales Vytecka, the director of the international cooperation agency of Czechia’s defence ministry, told The Times.

Officials have said that Czechia has paid relatively little for these supplies and the vast majority of the money has come from Nato allies, as per the newspaper.

Nato chief Mark Rutte has said that Czechia’s programme is “essential” for Ukraine. Czechia’s foreign minister Jan Lipavsky has said that “Ukraine would have already lost the Donbas” without the ammunition provided under the programme.

However, as Babis appears set to win, the fate of the programme and hence the success of Ukraine on the battlefield is now under question.