This year, Ukraine will receive 400,000 artillery ammunition rounds as part of the «Czech Initiative», which complements the 1.5 million shells received last year. This was announced by the head of the Ukrainian government, Denys Shmyhal, during a press conference following a meeting with Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala.
This is reported by Kyiv24
«We confirmed the importance of further increasing military, financial, economic, and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine. We will strengthen the integration of the Ukrainian and Czech defense industries. Additionally, we agreed on cooperation in training Ukrainian pilots for F-16 aircraft»
Development of the Czech Initiative and Its Challenges
Against the backdrop of international assistance being suspended in 2023-2024 due to supply issues and political disagreements, in February 2024, the Czech Republic launched the independent «Czech Initiative for Supplying Ammunition to Ukraine». Within this program, over 16 European donor countries have joined forces to procure around 800,000 shells, primarily of larger calibers. A year later, Czech officials announced a doubling of this amount.
However, this initiative has faced criticism from the Czech opposition and Ukrainian non-governmental organizations. They accuse it of ties to private procurement companies, as well as low-quality ammunition, delays in deliveries, and high prices. Former Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš in February 2025 referred to the ammunition as «old, moldy, purchased opaquely and at inflated prices», although he provided no evidence for these claims.