Four Years of Russian Invasion: Prague Remembers

Old Town Square Filled with Thousands

The Czech Republic commemorated the fourth anniversary of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine with a series of commemorative and cultural events. The central gathering, "Together for Ukraine!", took place on Saturday, February 22, 2026, in Prague's Old Town Square. According to police estimates, up to 8,000 people attended, coming to express solidarity with the attacked country ahead of the official anniversary on February 24.

A procession with a large Ukrainian flag set off from the National Museum and headed to Old Town Square, where the main program took place. The event was organized by leading Czech civic associations — Memory of the Nation, People in Need, Million Moments for Democracy, Thanks, We Can, and the European Congress of Ukrainians.

Pavel: War Fatigue is Indifference to the Future

The main speaker was President Petr Pavel, who opened the event. He rejected arguments that war fatigue was an understandable reaction: "If someone says that the war is exhausting them, they are taking a position of indifference to the security of our own future." He emphasized that the nature of any peace agreement would shape the security of the whole of Europe in the long term, and called on the government to continue supporting Kyiv until a just peace is achieved.

Pavel also praised the contribution of Ukrainian refugees to the Czech economy and rejected claims that they are a burden. He supported the continuation of the Czech-led ammunition initiative, which has delivered approximately 4.4 million heavy artillery shells to Ukraine in four years.

Ukrainian Ambassador Vasyl Zvarych thanked the Czech people for their help and reminded them that the defense of Ukraine protects international law, from which small states like the Czech Republic also benefit.

Fallen Volunteers and Testimonies from the Front

A powerful moment of the gathering was the speeches of the families of Czech volunteers who died in Ukraine. The mother of one of the fallen, Ivana Krejčová, said: "We carry both heaven and hell within us, and it is up to us to direct our actions in which direction." Polish film director Agnieszka Holland, in a video message, warned against repeating historical mistakes and called on the international community not to allow new "Munich Agreements." Olympic champion and hockey goalkeeper Dominik Hašek also spoke on the podium.

After the program, the procession continued to the monument of Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko in Smíchov.

Czech Support for Kyiv Continues

In the four years of the war, the Czech Republic has provided Ukraine with military aid totaling 17.4 billion crowns. At the same time, the government extended the comprehensive support program for Ukraine for another five years — from 2026 to 2030 — with an annual contribution exceeding 40 million euros. The new Minister of Defense, Jaromír Zuna, confirmed the continuation of the ammunition initiative this year as well.

KinoWar 2026 and Drones in the Streets

The anniversary is also accompanied by a cultural program. The benefit film festival KinoWar 2026 runs from February 23 to 27 in five Prague cinemas and presents a showcase of contemporary Ukrainian documentary filmmaking. Proceeds from ticket sales go to help Ukraine. The festival also offers debates with documentary filmmakers, historians and journalists.

The Gift for Putin initiative has placed life-size replicas of Russian Shahed drones in 17 Czech cities to show the public the real dimensions and destructive power of the weapons used against Ukrainian cities. Replicas can be seen, for example, in Kinsky Square in Prague or Freedom Square in Brno.

Commitment to Solidarity Remains

Four years after the start of the invasion, the Czech Republic remains one of the key European supporters of Ukraine. Despite domestic political pressures to reduce foreign spending, President Pavel and civil society are making it clear that solidarity with the attacked country is also an investment in the security of the Czech Republic itself.