Czech woman fighting in Ukraine: “If Ukraine loses, we’ll be next”

Ukrinform spoke with the woman, who has been serving in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine for nearly three years.

“I believe Russia is evil. I understand that if Ukraine does not win, we will be next. That’s why I believe we must fight, we must support, we must help, and we must kill the f…s,” Karolina said.

She added that even if Russia had attacked another country instead of Ukraine, she would have gone to fight anyway.

Karolina came to Ukraine in 2022 as a volunteer and medic in Bakhmut. To do so, she first resigned from the Czech army.

She does not have permission from the President of the Czech Republic – she could not obtain it because she had previously served in the Czech armed forces, which is prohibited by law. “You could say that I am serving illegally,” she noted.

Later, she decided to sign a contract and serve alongside Ukrainians in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Before that, Karolina had no connection to Ukraine and did not speak Ukrainian. When she arrived in Ukraine in 2022, she was with a Czech team, so there was little need for the language. But when she decided she wanted to serve with Ukrainians and sign a contract, she began learning it. Friends – whom Karolina now has many of in Ukraine – helped her a great deal.

Her family, she admits, struggled to accept her decision, but they support her despite constant fear.

There are no exact figures on how many Czechs have taken up arms in defense of Ukraine. As of late 2024, President Petr Pavel had granted permission to 60 citizens (no more recent data are available). In May 2022, then-President Miloš Zeman signed a decision allowing 103 Czech citizens to join the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

As reported earlier, Czech law prohibits service in foreign armed forces without the consent of the head of state.