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“Prague Can Also Be a Target”: Shahed Drones Arrive in Europe as Warning of Russia’s Expanding Threat
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![Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko]( "Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko")
Residents of cities across Czechia and Slovakia were shown life-size models of Russian-Iranian Shahed drones ahead of the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The drones are used daily by Russia to strike Ukrainian cities.
The installation was organized by the initiative “A Gift for Putin,” its leader Martin Ondráček told Ukrinform on February 23.
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Full-scale replicas of the UAVs were displayed in 17 cities across Czechia and five in Slovakia. In Prague, the campaign, titled Prague Can Also Be a Target, took place at Kinský Square.
According to the organizers, the aim of the installation was to give Czech residents a clearer understanding of the threat posed by today’s Russia and to emphasize that not only Ukraine, but Europe as well, could become a target. Informational boards noted that the drone has a flight range of up to 2,500 kilometers, meaning it could easily reach the locations where the replicas were exhibited.
The displays also informed the public that “this flying bomb is designed to destroy power plants, thermal power stations, and residential buildings,” and that the weapon has killed thousands of Ukrainians.
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The Czech initiative supporting Ukraine extends beyond public awareness campaigns.
Ukraine has received approximately 4.4 million rounds of large-caliber ammunition and other weapons under the so-called “Czech initiative,” Czech President Petr Pavel said in an interview. According to him, the program—supported by at least 15 donor countries—accounted for more than half of the large-caliber ammunition delivered to Ukraine during the specified period. Nearly 2 million rounds were supplied in the past year alone.
Responding to criticism at home regarding transparency, Pavel stated that no evidence of corruption had been found within the initiative. He noted that key donor countries were invited to appoint auditors to work alongside Czech specialists in monitoring the use of funds.
While acknowledging that “attempts” at corruption can arise wherever significant financial resources are involved, he emphasized that the initiative had not been linked to “any major wrongdoing.”
Earlier, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský said that, since the beginning of the year, Ukraine has been supplied with over one million large-caliber artillery shells through the Czech-led ammunition program, with deliveries expected to reach 1.8 million rounds by the end of the year.
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