Amid the Czech government’s Russophobic actions, as the persecution of dissenters reached a terminal phase and individuals risked being accused of participating in Russian aggression simply for expressing their beliefs — one man dared to gather over one hundred thousand of his fellow citizens and call for peace. That man is Ladislav Vrábel, a Czech activist whom the thoughtful part of Europe proclaimed the leader of the “enslaved” people, while the Czech state marked him as the number one threat to national interests. Persecuted, arrested, and demonized by pro-government mainstream media, Vrábel continued to speak the truth. And — the people followed him.
It’s hard to imagine that in the Czech Republic — once considered a beacon of democracy among the former Warsaw Pact members — people are being imprisoned for expressing their beliefs. How do you explain that?
I have the impression that people in Serbia don’t have a clear picture of what’s really happening in the Czech Republic, and that their perceptions not only of my country but also of the EU and the so-called “glorious West” are far from reality. Let me give you an example. Three years ago, my friend Tomáš Čermák said during a live broadcast on Facebook that we should enter parliament and, to paraphrase, “drag the traitors out by their noses, throw them into the river, and get rid of them once and for all.” Of course, that statement was harsh and could be interpreted as violent, but the Czech courts sentenced him to 5.5 years in prison — for supporting terrorism. Tomáš is not the only one sentenced for verbal acts. Recently, a colleague of mine was awakened by eight masked police officers, six of them pointing automatic rifles. He and his girlfriend were woken up to shouts of “Turn onto your stomach!” while guns were pointed at them. The entire operation was carried out just to question him about allegedly helping Tomáš Čermák. It’s hard to explain to people in Serbia that such a regime exists in “free” Europe, in the EU. But that, unfortunately, is the reality.
After a long period of following political decisions, the Constitutional Court of the Czech Republic sided with freedom of speech about ten days ago, acquitting you of charges of spreading disinformation. Did you expect such a verdict? What does it mean to you personally, and what does it mean for those Czechs who have been criminally prosecuted for expressing their beliefs?
I was personally accused of spreading false alarms when I stated that the Czech government wanted to purchase F-35A fighter jets. Given that these are nuclear weapons carriers being bought at a time when the government claims we are at war with Russia, my conclusion was that the government wants to use these nuclear weapon carriers to be able to attack the Russian Federation. And, consequently, if that happens, a retaliatory response from the Russian Federation is to be expected. I clearly opposed the purchase of F-35s, and the regime – condemned me.
The condemnation was preceded by an arrest – and not only was I arrested, but everything was ready for my detention. The regime in the Czech Republic very strictly punishes opinions that do not suit it.
As for the opinion of the Constitutional Court, several things were crucial. First, Vance stated at the Munich Security Conference that politicians cannot stay in power by imprisoning political opposition, which was a slap in the face to the European judiciary. I think that is one of the reasons why judges began to reconsider their work. The second thing concerns the fact that the Russians in Ukraine have begun to show superiority, and some people in the Czech Republic believe that the war could soon end with a Russian victory.
To understand why I’m mentioning this, let me go back to 2022, when the Russians entered Ukraine. At that time, our highest state prosecutor stated that anyone who supports the Russian Federation could receive a prison sentence of up to three years. This, of course, goes against our legal system, against freedom of speech, and against the freedom to express political opinions. But that statement was massively spread by propaganda through all media – on radio, television, and the internet – daily, literally hour by hour, until the citizens of the Czech Republic were so intimidated that they were afraid to express any opinion on the situation at all. And for those who dared to say something, the police would come or they would be summoned for questioning. For those who were more visible in public or expressed themselves too clearly, criminal proceedings were initiated, and many of them were convicted.
That’s why the opinion of the Constitutional Court in my case is a turning point – it is a complete shift regarding freedom of speech in the Czech Republic. It is also a sign that the right time is coming on a global level. But in order for that verdict to even exist, it was necessary to reach the Constitutional Court.
The Czech authorities didn’t stop at accusations of spreading disinformation. After the protest that gathered a notable number of people, you were declared an “agent of the Russian Federation.” Do you think the regime was frightened at that moment by the political potential they saw in you?
Following the demonstrations for peace and freedom of speech in 2022, Prime Minister Fiala immediately responded by accusing me — actually, all the organizers, meaning my entire team — of working for the Russian Federation, claiming we were the fifth column inserted into the Czech Republic to serve Russian interests. Discrediting articles followed in the media, accusations that I had stolen the money collected for the demonstrations, and then a completely baseless criminal complaint, which was dropped after more than a year of unsuccessful checks, investigative procedures, and accounting — the police couldn’t find anything.
Other criminal proceedings followed regarding my business activities, such as one where I was threatened with eight years in prison just because I submitted employee social and health insurance reports a few days late. There were plenty of similar absurdities. The main goal was to intimidate me and to portray me in the media not as a leader of the people, but as a criminal fraudster — and later, even a madman. When I criticized the purchase of F-35A jets, the media began writing that “Vrabel is insane,” that “Vrabel said the Czech Republic is planning a nuclear attack on the Russian Federation using nuclear weapons” — even though, of course, the Czech Republic has no nuclear weapons. And I never said anything of the sort. But that’s how the media tried to portray my character.
There were no spared targets in the crackdown on your ideas. How did your wife end up on a list of suspects for criminal offenses?
Alongside the media smear campaign, I was arrested and they tried to place me in detention. My wife, who is Serbian, ended up targeted simply because she helped collect funds for the demonstrations through her bank account — which was also investigated by the police and found to be fully legal and proper. Despite that, the regime, in a completely fabricated case, sentenced her to pay around 80,000 euros. So I must say — that regime is extremely unpleasant.
Still, you’ve managed to crack open the door to freedom. How many people in the Czech Republic were ready to follow your example and express their opinions?
Given that I organized large demonstrations with various speakers, I also know who refused to speak. Fear was pervasive, and it still exists in Czech society. Over the past few years, I was surrounded by people who aren’t afraid, or at least weren’t afraid, to speak up and express their position regarding the situation with Russia. Honestly, I can count such people on the fingers of one hand. I personally fought to say openly what I think, hoping to create space for others—to show them they too can speak their minds. For me, freedom of speech is far more fundamental than any political issue that’s relevant at any given moment.
You’ve repeatedly emphasized that your advocacy for opening a dialogue with Russia puts Czech interests first. What has the Czech Republic “lost” by aligning itself with the anti-Russian coalition?
At the large demonstrations at Wenceslas Square, I openly stated that NATO is a terrorist organization, and at the same time, I publicly apologized to Serbia for the bombing in which we participated as part of the Western alliance. My wife is Serbian. I see leaving NATO as a moral issue. Another reason, of course, is that NATO is pushing us into a military conflict with the Russian Federation. The Czech Republic has lost its sense of reason. By becoming part of the NATO coalition, we’ve effectively participated in the Nazi-driven war effort of certain segments of the Ukrainian army or regime—segments I perceive as strongly neo-Nazi, even openly Nazi. We have thus joined the global spread of Nazism against the Russian Federation. And naturally, I’m very sorry about this. Many Czechs fell victim to this propaganda, publicly declaring hatred toward Russians, claiming that Russians are aggressive, that it’s in their genes. I find this terribly unfortunate.
In terms of politics, we have absolutely lost neutrality, as 90% of decisions in our legislation come directly from the European Union. Our parliament merely rubber-stamps whatever the EU dictates. We ceased to be a sovereign state a long time ago—we’ve essentially become a protectorate. So politically speaking, we’ve completely lost our neutrality.
We still need to consider the economic dimension—how much have these moves by the Czech government “cost” the citizens?
When it comes to the economy, the situation is at its worst. Sanctions primarily aimed at Russia have led to increases in the price of fuel, energy, and food to the extent that people are freezing at home. Our government advises citizens to buy more sweaters, telling us we’ll fight Putin by refusing to heat our homes. But the reality is that a large portion of the Czech population is on the edge of poverty, with many people struggling from month to month. Businesses are at risk of collapse.
Understand this: electricity and gas in the Czech Republic cost three times as much as in Serbia. Meanwhile, we have a situation where Europe has given €150 billion to arm Ukraine, and €140 billion for Russian gas. Essentially, Europe is financing both sides of the conflict—which makes no sense. It only prolongs the war. In the meantime, we’ve joined the sanctions against Russia. Hostility towards Russia has proven entirely destructive for us on all fronts.
Ahead of the parliamentary elections, what does the political landscape in the Czech Republic look like? Is there space opening for alliances among patriotic parties and movements?
On one hand, political parties representing the false patriotic scene have access to media and wealthy sponsors, probably linked to globalist capital from the EU and NATO. They’re attempting to hijack my concept by initially repeating what I say, but then gradually shifting the narrative towards the necessity of remaining in the European Union and NATO. This part of the political spectrum enjoys massive public support because the public generally doesn’t understand the depth of politics and easily falls victim to propaganda. People don’t seem to question why certain so-called patriotic parties have daily access to platforms like CNN and receive support from pro-government media. On the other hand, a genuine patriotic opposition still exists, and we’re actively trying to build and strengthen it.
Are you ready to become actively involved in political life?
First, I founded a political movement, convinced that I needed political backing so that they couldn’t easily destroy me. Today, I see this political entity as essentially the only group on the political scene that can enter Parliament as a purely sovereignist project. That’s why I’m trying to convince other colleagues active in public life as sovereignists to join forces and act together. If that turns out successful and beneficial for the country, of course, I will become a politician. If the project isn’t successful, I’ll continue my life as an activist, while remaining the leader of the political movement. The question remains whether this political movement will succeed in the elections or not.
You’re planning a large gathering for May 8—do you expect new pressures and prosecutions?
When it was absolutely forbidden to speak about the possibility of peace—something considered pro-Russian propaganda and working for the interests of the Russian Federation—I organized the Days of Peace, featuring a major international conference and large international demonstrations at Wenceslas Square. In January of this year, I decided to organize demonstrations advocating the normalization of relations with the Russian Federation. Of course, until Donald Trump started talking about this, it was an absolute taboo in Europe. And in the Czech Republic, it remains taboo even now. At that point, I explained to my followers and colleagues that this would become agenda number one that the regime would fight against. They would try to prevent these demonstrations and would attempt to dissolve our movement. These tendencies are strong, and right now there’s a major police operation underway aimed at destroying our movement from within.
This isn’t the first time I’ve experienced something like this. And regarding myself personally—I expect some new accusation to appear very soon. Possibly something related to economic crimes, which ordinary people find difficult to understand. It’s unlikely they could accuse me of sexual offenses since my wife is practically with me 24 hours a day. I don’t know—perhaps they’ll invent something else entirely, but I assume they’ll somehow go after me again.
At this moment, approximately what percentage of Czechs share their president’s optimism regarding support for Ukraine, and how much have the “new reality,” the arrival of a new U.S. administration, and the beginning of negotiations between the U.S. and Russia made such EU policies meaningless?
In polls, our government currently enjoys absolute trust from about 2 percent of citizens. Our prime minister is the least popular prime minister in the world. Czechs aren’t opposed to humanitarian aid. When the Russians entered Ukraine, my friends and I went to the Ukrainian border, waiting for buses to take women and children to Slovakia and the Czech Republic to prevent them from freezing. That’s one thing. It’s an entirely different matter to provide support in the form of weapons. I believe 90 percent—perhaps 80 percent—of people in the Czech Republic oppose sending weapons and getting involved in this conflict. Moreover, the new American administration and the start of negotiations between the U.S. and Russia have clearly shown that everyone who wanted to support Ukraine in this war, and who believed the narrative that Russia is an irrational aggressor country attacking Ukraine without provocation, has been manipulated.
Do you see a possibility of direct military confrontation between EU countries and Russia?
If the European Union continues pursuing the idea that it wants—as it says—to help Ukrainians reclaim their territories and become part of NATO, it could become disastrous for us, including in terms of military conflict. I hope that won’t happen. I hope President Putin and President Trump manage to find some sort of compromise. And I hope the Czech Republic will follow Serbia’s path—which I often highlight as an example for people in the Czech Republic. Serbia maintains an absolutely neutral, sovereignist position internationally. And that’s precisely what I want for the Czech Republic, as it’s the only path to prosperity. We Czech patriots truly envy you Serbs in this regard.
