I quite regularly meet (both in the digital environment and in real life) individuals who proudly hold the opinion: “Russia is not our enemy.” If a pronoun our includes, for example, a group of patriots who proudly wear Son in law, St. George’s ribbon or Vladimir’s image on the chest, I understand. But if the pronoun in this sentence is supposed to represent the Czech Republic, then I would already argue about the truth of this statement.
We all probably have some idea of how a friend should behave. Let’s take a quick look at how Russia has treated us in recent years and if we are doing it a disservice by calling it a threat.
The answer could still be very short – in 2021, together with the USA, we became co-founders of the prestigious Nikoliv club of friendly countries, into which Russia itself included us.
Vrbětice and the Russian GRU
And what did we do so significant that we earned this international honor and found ourselves on the Russian blacklist? The answer is simple.
Even though some politicians at the time tried to sweep the whole event under the carpet – Babiš’s an attack on the goods of a Bulgarian merchantKlaus’s a fabricated scarecrow or Zemanova non-existent evidence – the government responded decisively. Rosatom was excluded from the tender for the completion of Dukovan, 18 Russian diplomats were expelled.
Energy crisis
But in addition to the bomb attack on our territory, Russia was able to act even more with gloves. In 2021, Russia launched a pressure game with the aim of speeding up the approval and opening of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline or convincing EU states of risky spot purchases and pressuring states to sign long-term contracts. In both cases, Russia would thus benefit from the deepening of the EU’s dependence on its mineral resources.
The reduction in deliveries compared to previous years took place throughout 2021. In the last four months of 2021, Russian exports to the EU even decreased by 24% year-on-year. The result was a sharp increase in prices, which of course we also felt in our country. Given that even the high price of gas did not make Russia take advantage of this situation and make the most of the increase in supplies to the EU, it was clear that this was more of a geopolitical than a business tactic.
Taunts and predictions of the apocalypse
It probably goes without saying that it’s not very friendly. But people can still be comforted by the fact that neither business nor politics is crystal clear and here and there it is necessary to push the saw.
However, the video from the Russian state propaganda station RT could undoubtedly be evaluated as not very friendly. The video predicts a slowly apocalyptic future Christmas in the EU, taunting her that anti-Russian attitudes will leave her without energy and in misery.
Similar rhetoric, most likely by complete coincidence, was coined by the conveners of various demonstrations or self-proclaimed energy experts who proclaimed that we cannot do without Russian gas, that we will all freeze in the winter due to sanctions, etc. Fortunately, this was again only pro-Russian propaganda and the threats were not based on reality.
Bribing politicians
Secret services all over Europe have been talking about the fact that Russia is a master at spreading its propaganda and that it is trying to break the unity of the EU countries and their support for Ukraine. Findings by our intelligence service BIS that the Russians, through Voice of Europe, paid European politicians who oppose support for Ukraine and stamp the password Russia is not the enemyso it was no surprise.
That Russia gave space in the Voice of Europe media to (wannabe) politicians from the SPD, Tricolor, PRO, Václav Klas and others who are calling for the end of support for Ukraine, the lifting of sanctions, or for withdrawal from NATO and the EU (but they are definitely not pro-Russian
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