In our research on Russian propaganda impact in European media, we identified a significant number of pro-Kremlin news outlets in the Czech media environment that routinely disseminate disinformation and pro-Russian narratives.
These websites mainly focus on criticizing the EU, portraying Ukraine and its Western allies in a negative light, exchanging mutual quotations, and citing Russian state propaganda media platforms, including Sputnik, Russia Today, RIA, and the sanctioned Voice of Europe, formerly based in Prague.
The list also includes numerous Czech websites that quote or make references to Voice of Europe, as well as Pravda-CZ, part of Russia’s multilingual misinformation network in Europe:
- cz24.news
- infokuryr.cz
- pravyprostor.net
- zvedavec.news
- protiproud.info
- prvnizpravy.cz
- novarepublika.cz
- pokec24.cz
- paralelne.cz
- skrytapravda.cz
- czechfreepress.cz
- iportal24.cz
- aeronet.news
- pravda-cz.com
- volnyblog.news
- nase-pravda.net
- iaktualne.cz
- cernaskrinka.online
- jaktobylo.com
- e-republika.ch
- bezpressu.news
- svobodny-svet.cz
- gnews.cz
- exopolitika.cz
We have conducted an analysis of the preferred news topics and discovered that the predominant narratives strongly suggest that Russia is attempting to exert influence over the minds of Europeans.
“Russia is forced to respond to the aggression of Ukraine and the West”
The Czech online outlets we examined frequently claim that the war in Ukraine started due to Russia’s isolation from the West, particularly from its collective defense system, and that Ukraine’s rejection of neutral status and movement towards the West sparked a reaction from Putin. Russia employs this strategy to justify its actions and shift the blame onto the victim.
Pro-Russian Czech news outlets suggest that the US supplying Ukraine with military equipment provoked the aggression, claiming that “the U.S. profits from the war it stirs up in Ukraine.” However, they shyly omit the fact that it was Russia who initiated the conflict by invading a sovereign Ukraine and violating international law.
- https://www.novarepublika.cz/2024/06/visi-nad-nami-armagedon-lide-spete
- https://cz24.news/rusko-bolo-k-vojne-na-ukrajine-vyprovokovane-britsky-politik-nigel-farage-vyhlasil-ze-eu-a-nato-vyprovokovali-rusku-invaziu-na-ukrajine-tym-ze-sa-rozsirili-na-vychod/
- https://cz24.news/usa-profituji-z-konfrontaci-ktere-vyvolavaji-na-ukrajine-v-jihocinskem-mori-oznamil-byvaly-malajsky-premier-mahathir/
“Ukraine and its allies violate international humanitarian law”
Pro-Russian news websites in Czechia spread the claim that Ukrainian soldiers are using children’s hospitals as military shields. They manipulate the situation by blaming Ukraine for the recent brutal assault on the children’s hospital in Kyiv. The purpose of the disinformation is to create a false impression of Russian military aggression and reduce international criticism of Russia.
- https://www.novarepublika.cz/2024/07/zelenskyj-skryva-ukrajinske-sily-za-detske-nemocnice
- https://www.pokec24.cz/politika/nerad-to-rikam-ale/
- https://www.pokec24.cz/krize-ukrajina/rusove-zasahli-ridici-stredisko-gru-v-sousedstvi-detske-nemocnice-v-kyjeve/
- https://www.infokuryr.cz/n/2024/08/28/krvave-miliardy-proc-bude-kyjev-bojovat-az-do-posledniho-ukrajince/
“The Ukrainian political leadership is illegitimate”
Russia employs a variety of strategies to convince Western audiences that Ukraine’s leadership is dragging the country down and sacrificing innocent people. Pro-Russian media outlets in Czechia manipulate facts on the Russian Orthodox Church’s ban in Ukraine, questioning the legitimacy of the Ukrainian government and President Volodymyr Zelensky.
- https://www.czechfreepress.cz/evropa/zelenskemu-konci-mandat-21-maja-2024-vstupia-vojska-nato-na-ukrajinu-aby-ho-ochranili-pred-prevratom-uvaha.html
- https://www.gnews.cz/cs_cz/politika/zelenskij-podepsal-zakon-o-skutecnem-zakazu-kanonicke-ukrajinske-pravoslavne-cirkve/
- https://www.iportal24.cz/zahranici/zelenskij-podepsal-zakon-o-faktickem-zakazu-kanonicke-upc/
- https://www.novarepublika.cz/2024/08/zelenskyj-a-wunderwaffe
“The West escalates the war in Ukraine”
Russia is aggressively promoting a storyline about NATO’s purported danger in the Czech Republic. The intention is to erode confidence in the Alliance and highlight the “danger” of Western involvement in Ukraine, with the ultimate goal of diminishing support for Ukraine and its allies in the conflict with Russia.
Russian officials often assert that NATO—and especially the United States—is taking the war to a new height by equipping Ukraine. They assert that NATO’s assertive language will trigger a direct confrontation with Russia.
- https://www.novarepublika.cz/2024/07/ruska-liga-sili-kazdym-dnem-je-proto-treba-rychle-vypalit-moskvu-nebo-zapad-prohraje-mrazive-poselstvi-ze-summitu-nato-nemecka-v-3-ve-sluzbach-kyjeva
- https://www.iportal24.cz/zahranici/jill-steinova-usa-nadale-rozdmychavaji-konflikt-na-ukrajine/
- https://www.pokec24.cz/krize-ukrajina/sef-nato-odhalil-nejvetsi-riziko-pro-blok/
- https://svobodny-svet.cz/nemecko-rozhodne-zda-se-na-ukrajinu-vrati-mir/
“Western support for Ukraine is pointless, as Russia is winning”
Pro-Russian Czech news outlets propagate the myth that military assistance from the West is useless, that Ukrainians misuse the equipment, and that Russians easily destroy much of it. This narrative aims to persuade Czechs to halt their support for weapons supplies to Ukraine because it’s simply a waste of money.
The other points are as follows: Russia is profiting from Ukraine’s intrusion into the Kursk area; Russian drones are burning large quantities of American-made Abrams tanks; President Zelensky’s strategy was ineffective; and Ukraine’s operation in the Kursk region failed.
- https://protiproud.info/politika/8018-moskva-vyhlasila-bezletovou-zonu-nad-cernym-morem-putinovo-varovani-rakety-atamcams-nemaji-proti-ruskym-iskanderum-sanci-valecni-stvaci-mohou-slavit-blizime-se-k-valce-detem-sirky-do-rukou-nepatri-vzpamatuji-se.htm
- https://xtv.cz/x-talk/vratit-se-v-cesku-k-normalni-diskuzi-neni-mozne-roli-hraji-zahranicni-vlivy-pravici-je-potreba-nechat-vydusit-rusko-je-neporazitelne-za-sobotky-se-kradlo-jiri-paroubek
- https://www.prvnizpravy.cz/zpravy/zpravy/v-zaporozi-byl-proveden-uder-na-ukrajinske-sklady-raket-dlouheho-doletu/
- https://www.iportal24.cz/zahranici/expert-utok-na-kurskou-oblast-neprinesl-zadne-skutecne-uspechy/
- https://www.pokec24.cz/blog/zelenskeho-plan-selhal/
- https://www.prvnizpravy.cz/zpravy/politika/rocek-vpad-ukrajincu-do-kurske-oblasti-rusku-nakonec-pomuze/
- https://www.prvnizpravy.cz/zpravy/zpravy/ruske-rakety-nici-ukrajinsky-vlak-nalozeny-tanky-v-charkove/
- https://www.prvnizpravy.cz/zpravy/zpravy/rusky-uder-zasahl-ukrajinske-letecke-zakladny-pripravene-pro-zapadni-stihacky/
- https://svobodny-svet.cz/ukrajina-pocet-dezerteru-dosahl-noveho-rekordu/
Curiously, the amount of Russian nuclear blackmail content has noticeably decreased recently. We believe that this shift is due to Ukraine’s success in the Kursk area, which went beyond all of Russia’s “red lines.”
More about Russian nuclear blackmail in our earlier article.
“Ukraine is a failed state”. Global conspiracy theories, UFOs and aliens
Pro-Russian Czech news websites often present Ukraine as a wild, lawless territory that attracts militants from all over the world, saying that it is “spreading terrorism globally.”
One website reports that Ukraine is contemplating the release of crocodiles into the Tisza River as a strategy to deter males from leaving the country to evade military conscription. There is also terrifying news about hunger in Ukraine and US biological laboratories.
- https://paralelne.cz/2022/03/02/ukrajina-se-meni-v-mezinarodni-valciste-do-kyjeva-miri-bojovnici-z-celeho-sveta-vcetne-islamistu/
- https://cz24.news/krokodyli-v-tise-na-ukrajine-uz-obcanska-valka-probiha/
- https://www.infokuryr.cz/n/2024/08/08/ukrajina-sirici-terorismus-po-celem-svete/
- https://www.iportal24.cz/featured/ukrajinu-mozna-ceka-hladomor/
- https://paralelne.cz/2022/03/05/jednim-z-duvodu-utoku-ruska-na-kyjev-mohly-byt-i-laboratore-pentagonu-na-ukrajine/
Exopolitika.cz is a particularly amusing website that links to other pro-Russian sites and receives quotes from them. It explores a variety of subjects, including conspiracy theories, UFOs, and aliens. It also portrays Russia as a leader in the fight against evil and even details a government meeting where Putin addressed the “annunaki threat.”
Citing a worldwide conspiracy, it declares that aliens want to wipe off humanity and that the U.S. government is in charge of everything while withholding the truth regarding UFOs.
- https://www.exopolitika.cz/tzv-roswell-pred-roswellem-jiz-v-roce-1945-se-v-usa-zritilo-plavidlo-tvaru-avokada-znovu-prosetrovano-uradem-usa-umoznil-to-prezident-biden/6373
Certain biased websites from the Czech Republic that we examined had strong connections, in addition to often referencing the same Russian official media and international pro-Russian media.
They often quote one another, reference Russian sources, publish nearly identical topics, and exchange hyperlinks. This interactive infographic displays the mutual links.
In Czechia, pro-Russian media sources disseminate disinformation, Kremlin narratives, and anti-EU and anti-US content. Certain websites consistently display quotes from Russian sources and provide links to other websites that support Russia, while others feature remarks made by officials such as Putin, Lavrov, and others. Their main objective is to weaken Western support for Ukraine and advance Russian narratives across Europe.
Authorities may have prohibited some of these outlets, as evidenced by the change in their domain names.For instance, Zvedavec moved from .org to .news domain, Pravyprostor moved from to.net extension, and Protiproud moved from .cz to .info domain.
According to monthly traffic data (SimilarWeb data), very few of these websites account for more than a small percentage of the Czech Republic’s total online news audience. Objective sources provide ninety-five percent of the opinions in the media. This implies that Russian propaganda is encountering resistance in Czech society.
Nonetheless, the number of unique visitors to cz24.news and aero.news is still around 40–50k monthly.This research has been conducted by our experts in collaboration with the Ukrainian TV channel Espreso.