Great Solidarity from a Small Country in the Heart of Europe

Czech civil society is among the most generous in Europe when it comes to donations for Ukraine. If not in absolute figures, then certainly in proportion to population size. Since 2014, numerous effective initiatives have emerged across the country, primarily focused on humanitarian aid. Since 2022, new projects have expanded this effort, providing assistance that is difficult to overestimate — both to civilians and to the front line.

The volunteer movement enjoys unequivocal support from President Petr Pavel. At a time when the current Czech government is often described as cautious in tone, he has become a symbol of unwavering solidarity.

On the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion, the head of state invited more than 60 volunteers and activists — representatives of nearly 40 organizations for whom supporting Ukraine has become a matter of honor — to Prague Castle. Most of the individuals featured in this article were among his guests.

VOLUNTEERS HAVE NO COMMON GROUND WITH THOSE “TIRED” OF THE WAR

Businessman and volunteer Alois Cvešper once ran a successful international transport company, including operations in Russia, a country he had frequently traveled through. In 2014, he ended all business ties with the Russian Federation. When the full-scale invasion began, he was vacationing in Wales, on the St Davids Peninsula, watching seals.

“We immediately turned the caravan around and drove back. We reached the Slovak border and spent three weeks cooking meals for refugees. After that, I began traveling to the front line — I’ve been there at least 75 times, each trip lasting eight or nine days,” Cvešper recalls.

He delivers aid directly to brigades holding the defenses near Kramatorsk, Sloviansk, Lyman, and elsewhere. At present, he is once again on the road, transporting drones, equipment, and — perhaps most importantly — moral support, including flags personally signed by President Pavel.

“When they see that I’ve come back again, it means everything is all right. There are men there who are 60 years old — they left their businesses, their peaceful lives, and now lie in the mud holding the line. That’s what sustains me. It doesn’t let me give up. For me, walking away would be desertion,” says the 54-year-old volunteer.

Above all, he explains, soldiers need vehicles and drones — reconnaissance and targeting UAVs equipped with thermal imaging to detect the enemy, followed by FPV drones that strike.

“At first, we were afraid of missiles. Now it’s practically a constant race under drones. The vehicle has detectors showing what’s flying toward you. Just as someone pilots a UAV from one side, you’re steering the wheel from the other, trying to outmaneuver it. Drone warfare today is something insane — it’s hard to describe. So what’s essential is reliable equipment — a vehicle capable of withstanding it.”

Funds for supplies come not only from the Czech Republic, but also from Canada, France, Slovakia, and elsewhere. As for those who say they are “tired of the war,” Cvešper says simply: they are not walking the same path.

Renowned actor Ivan Trojan shares this view. He regularly travels to Ukraine as part of the Post Bellum team, known in the Czech Republic as “Memory of Nations.”

“Being there and seeing the war with your own eyes is completely different from watching it on television. I understand people want a life without problems. But at least for a moment, they should stop and think about the fact that people in Ukraine are freezing, literally. We must realize that we have enough, that we are safe. It’s important that those who help — even in small ways — outnumber those who don’t understand,” Trojan says.

In recent months, together with his friend, author Jiří Dvořák, he has delivered several ambulances filled with medical supplies. Soon they plan to bring a laparoscopic device urgently needed at the front by a paramedic known by the call sign “Chaika.” Just days ago, Trojan performed in a charity production in Dejvice; the proceeds will go toward further assistance.

In Prague, he met Ukrainian veteran Artem, who thanked Czech supporters. Trojan admitted he felt almost ashamed that a soldier who had lost both limbs was thanking Czechs. “It is I who should thank him — and all of Ukraine,” the actor stressed.

Another prominent actor, Ondřej Vetchý, leads an initiative named Skupina D (Drones Nemesis), to procure battlefield drones, supported by the Chief of the Czech General Staff, Karel Řehka.

FROM TOURNIQUETS TO DRONES AND VEHICLES

Marine Artem and his wife Veronika recently spent several days in Prague as guests of the volunteer organizations Team4Ukraine and Dárek pro Putina, which launched a fundraising campaign for his bionic prostheses. Within days, they raised more than the required 5 million Czech crowns.

The prosthetics will be provided at the Superhumans Center in Lviv. Doctors were unable to save Artem’s arms — the limbs had been constricted by tourniquets for too long. Yet those very tourniquets, supplied by Czech volunteers, saved his life.

Beyond tourniquets, ballistic vests, helmets, and medical kits, Team4Ukraine delivers a wide range of essential supplies. Last year alone, volunteers provided 22 vehicles — evacuation vans, trucks, fire engines — along with drones (Mavic, Vampir, and Hecthor models), Starlink terminals, charging stations, batteries, thermal imagers, and even a boat.

Humanitarian aid for civilians and medical supplies for hospitals are dispatched almost around the clock to cities including Poltava, Vinnytsia, Kherson, and Kremenchuk. Volunteers also collect evidence of Russian war crimes to help ensure accountability.

Testimony collection is also carried out by the Czech Republic’s largest humanitarian organization, Člověk v tísni (People in Need).

According to Petr Drbohlav, Regional Director and Head of the Aid Department, the organization operates primarily in the “crescent” along the front line, as well as in the Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv, and Kyiv regions, focusing on the provision of emergency humanitarian assistance to people evacuated from areas near the front line.

Last year alone, more than 15,000 people received financial assistance. Over 18,000 frontline households were supported in preparing for winter. The organization works extensively in water supply, sanitation, and hygiene. In 2024, it began supporting repairs to centralized heating systems; in 2025, 49 such systems were restored. It has also contributed to the renovation of 38 healthcare facilities, primarily in the Kharkiv, Sumy, and Kherson regions.

Since 2022, more than 26,000 homes have been repaired, underground shelters equipped — including those adapted for school classrooms — and mental health services provided, particularly for veterans. Grants are also offered to help people start or expand small businesses.

Of the approximately 7 billion Czech crowns (USD 340 million) in aid provided over four years, about one-third came from private and corporate donors, mainly from the Czech Republic but also from abroad. At the start of the full-scale invasion, Kim Kardashian shared the organization’s bank details on Instagram, and Jennifer Aniston reposted them. Another third of funding comes from the European Union, with the remainder provided by governments including the United States, Switzerland, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United Nations.

One of the best-known initiatives, “A Gift for Putin,” relies exclusively on Czech citizens’ donations and focuses primarily on weapons procurement.

“You can’t win a war without weapons,” says initiative leader Martin Ondráček.

Since early 2022, dozens of campaigns have financed hundreds of drones, ammunition supplies, and even two missiles — often attracting widespread attention through creative, ironic messaging that uses humor to address serious matters.

FROM TRENCH CANDLES TO THE TRENCHES

Scouts have also joined the effort. Last year alone, they produced and delivered 100,000 trench candles to Sumy, Kramatorsk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Zhytomyr, and other frequently blacked-out areas, which help people — including soldiers — keep warm and prepare simple meals. Thousands of volunteers gather in Prague and nearly 90 other locations across the country to make the candles in their spare time.

“For scouts, it’s important to find ways for children and young people to participate. Many have already shown interest this year — they find it inspiring,” says Barbora Troják.

This year, scouts also plan to weave camouflage nets.

Perhaps those candles are keeping Karolína warm.

Her story, too, is one of solidarity — but of a different kind.

Karolína had been serving in the Czech Army when Russia invaded Ukraine. She felt she needed to be where a war for justice was unfolding. She had no prior ties to Ukraine — no friends there, no visits, no knowledge of the language.

She resigned — active service members are prohibited from participating in foreign conflicts — and traveled to Bakhmut in 2022 as a volunteer combat medic. Later, she signed a contract and has now served in the Armed Forces of Ukraine for three years.

“Russia is evil. If Ukraine does not win, we will be next. That’s why we must fight, support, help — and eliminate those responsible,” she says.

There are no precise figures on how many Czech citizens have taken up arms for Ukraine. By the end of 2024, President Petr Pavel had granted permission to 60 citizens. In 2022, then-President Miloš Zeman authorized more than 100 Czechs to join Ukraine’s Armed Forces.

Several Czechs have lost their lives in the fight for freedom. Their memory was honored at a rally attended by thousands in central Prague, organized by Czech groups supporting Ukraine (as noted above, there are dozens of such organizations — unfortunately, it was not possible to mention all of them in this article).  Many participants came not only to express solidarity, but to thank Ukraine itself — for standing firm, for refusing to surrender, and for defending values cherished by most Czechs: freedom, democracy, and justice.

Olha Tanasiichuk, Prague

Photos via Author