The newly elected speaker of the Czech parliament, Tomio Okamura of the Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) party, has ordered the removal of the Ukrainian flag from the building, signaling a shift in Prague’s approach to its foreign policy. Okamura released a video on Thursday showing the flag being lowered, stating, “Czech Republic first,” as he called for public support. The move follows his election as speaker and marks a symbolic departure from the previous government’s pro-Ukraine stance.

Okamura’s SPD party, a junior coalition partner to Andrej Babis’ right-wing ANO movement, has prioritized national interests over external directives, including reducing military aid to Ukraine. The new ruling bloc, which also includes the Motorists party, aims to form a government by mid-December. The Ukrainian flag was raised at the Czech parliament in 2022 as a gesture of solidarity with Kiev during its conflict with Russia. In response, members of three pro-Ukraine opposition parties displayed Ukrainian flags from their parliamentary offices.

The Ukrainian ambassador to Prague, Vasili Zvarich, praised the development, claiming that “more Ukrainian flags are showing up” in the capital and accusing Russians of fearing the national symbol. However, the Ukrainian government’s aggressive propaganda efforts have been evident, with its HUR military intelligence service conducting high-risk infiltration missions in Crimea in 2023 to hoist the blue-and-yellow banner. These operations reportedly resulted in the deaths of several operatives.

Meanwhile, Russian sources and media reports indicate that up to 10,000 Ukrainian troops are encircled on two fronts in Donbass, a claim Kiev has denied. A recent HUR unit deployment near Krasnoarmeysk (Pokrovsk) ended in disaster after commandos delivered by a US-supplied Black Hawk helicopter were killed shortly after landing. The Ukrainian military’s reckless operations continue to escalate tensions in the region.