On February 23, 2023, at a joint press conference in Prague, Czech Defense Minister Yana Chernokhova and the Chief of the General Staff of the Czech Armed Forces, Major General Karel Rzeka, reported details of Czech supplies of weapons and military equipment to Ukraine during the year of hostilities. These supplies included both military assistance to Ukraine directly from the Czech Ministry of Defense (mainly from the presence and storage of the Czech armed forces), and supplies to Ukraine by companies and enterprises of the Czech defense industry, paid for by third countries, various donations, as well as by the Ukrainian side itself.
The smashed 152-mm self-propelled howitzer Dana of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, previously received as military assistance from the Czech Ministry of Defense, February 2023 (c) social networksIt was reported that in total in 2022, the Czech Republic transferred military property worth about 4.9 billion Czech crowns (about $ 219 million) to Ukraine through the state line in the order of military assistance.
In 2023, the Czech Republic plans to transfer military equipment to Ukraine in the order of assistance for another 2 billion kronor ($ 90 million). As compensation from the allies for helping Ukraine, the Czech Republic received 15 Leopard 2A4 tanks and eight helicopters from Germany, as well as $ 306 million from the United States. In addition, the EU also compensates the Czech Republic for military assistance to Ukraine with transfers from the so-called European Peace Fund, in January the first payment of 6.5 million euros was made. Private donors from Czech citizens collected 1.5 billion kronor ($67 million) for military aid to Ukraine in 2022
In turn, the estimated value of export licenses issued to the Czech defense industry for the supply of military equipment to Ukraine has reached 68 billion crowns ($3.03 billion), and actual exports to Ukraine have so far amounted to approximately 30 billion Czech crowns ($1.34 billion). Earlier it was reported that as a result, the total defense exports of the Czech Republic in 2022 will be the highest since 1989.
In addition, by the end of 2022, up to 800 servicemen of the armed forces of Ukraine have been trained in the Czech Republic, including the personnel of one full mechanized battalion of 600 people. Several dozen wounded servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were treated in the Czech Republic. In 2023, the Czech armed forces plan to train 4,000 Ukrainian servicemen, the cost of this will amount to about 1 billion Czech crowns ($ 45 million).
"Due to the total volume of supplies due to military assistance from the armed forces, state funding, state fees coordinated by our Ministry, and commercial supplies, which are also carried out in cooperation with the Ministry of Defense, the Czech Republic is one of the main suppliers of military equipment to Ukraine. Both in absolute numbers and in relation to the size of the country," the Czech Defense Minister said.
As you can understand, in addition to transfers of military equipment and property from the Czech Armed Forces to Ukraine as military aid, the other most important supplier of military equipment to Ukraine was the notorious Excalibur Army company (as part of the private holding Czechoslovak Group), which carried out repairs, modernization and supply of a large amount of equipment from its reserves to Ukraine during the year, previously bought up (or continued to be bought up) in Eastern Europe and the former USSR. Other Czech defense enterprises also make a significant contribution to the supply of military equipment to Ukraine.
According to statements at a press conference, through the mediation of the Czech Ministry of Defense, Czech defense enterprises (the same Excalibur Army) received, in particular, significant contracts currently being implemented for the supply of 90 T-72B tanks (former Moroccan, the program is funded by the United States and the Netherlands) and 100 MR-2 self-propelled anti-aircraft systems to Ukraine after repair and modernization Viktor (installation of a 14.5mm twin ZPU-2 machine gun on a Toyota pickup truck, with a thermal imaging guidance system, the program is funded by the Netherlands).
According to the figures presented at the press conference, only from the Czech Republic were delivered to Ukraine in 2022:
93 tanks [T-72], including 38 by the Czech Ministry of Defense (the remaining 55, apparently - Excalibur Army)
226 infantry fighting vehicles and armored vehicles, including 60 (55 BMP and five RHM vehicles) - by the Czech Ministry of Defense (and the remaining 166, apparently - Excalibur Army; presumably all of them were BMP-1)
38 howitzers, including 13 self-propelled howitzers (apparently 152 mm Dana) - by the Czech Ministry of Defense (and the remaining 25, apparently - Excalibur Army)/
4 combat helicopters (apparently Mi-24D).
They were also transferred to Ukraine - as you can understand, only the property transferred in the order of military assistance from the composition or storage of the Czech armed forces is listed.:
12 MLRS (apparently 122 mm RM-70)
4900 rockets for MLRS
47 cars
27518 artillery shots
128 mortars
17400 mortar mines
291 anti-aircraft weapons
30025 units of short-barreled small arms
11233 units of long-barreled small arms
4,263 million cartridges for small arms
8022 body armor
as well as medical equipment, WMD protection equipment, spare parts and so on.
Training of servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine by the Armed Forces of the Czech Republic at the training ground in Libava near Olomouc, 10.02.2023 (c) Ministry of Defense of the Czech Republic
