An international investigation revealed that the Czech Initiative for supplying ammunition to Ukraine faces criticism despite its declared success in providing artillery shells to Ukrainian forces fighting against Russia’s invasion.
The Czech Initiative refers to a significant program launched by the Czech Republic to supply artillery ammunition to Ukraine. Czech President Petr Pavel announced about the initiative in February 2024 during the Munich Security Conference with an initial goal of procuring 800,000 artillery shells for Ukraine.
According to the investigation by Radio Free Europe’s “Schemes” project (Ukraine), Investigace.cz (Czech Republic), and The Investigative Desk and Follow The Money (Netherlands), artillery shells sometimes arrive behind schedule, contrary to the timetable announced to the Ukrainian side. This delay “may affect the planning of military operations,” the journalists report.
“It is almost impossible to stick to the schedule,” explained a source in the Ukrainian defense industry, citing the peculiarities of weapons manufacturing.
The investigation found no evidence supporting claims about poor quality ammunition or premature detonation of shells delivered through the Czech Initiative. Instead, journalists discovered signs of what appears to be a Russian disinformation campaign targeting the program.
In autumn 2024, Czech media outlets began receiving copies of letters addressed to top Czech officials overseeing the initiative. Written in broken English, these letters claimed some fuse mechanisms for 155mm shells were faulty, allegedly causing premature explosions, equipment damage, and injuries to military personnel.
“We are concerned that ammunition supplied under the Czech Initiative may be a ‘Trojan horse’ for agents of the Russian Federation,” stated one letter purportedly from a Ukrainian veterans’ organization.
Czech government representative Tomáš Kopečný dismissed these letters as “absolutely not credible” and “similar to a disinformation campaign.”
The initiative has also faced criticism for being “Czech-centric.” All five companies selected as intermediaries are Czech firms, chosen without public tenders or transparent selection criteria. Some of these companies reportedly have connections to Czech officials, raising concerns about potential conflicts of interest.
Another point of contention is the commission charged by Czech intermediaries, which according to informed sources can reach up to 13% – at least four times higher than the fees charged by Ukrainian state procurement agencies, which are capped at 3%.
“They have the right to their commission because they take responsibility,” an informed source told journalists, explaining that part of the margin covers “additional expenses” that ensure ammunition delivery.
Former head of Ukraine’s Defense Procurement Agency, Maryna Bezrukova, questioned why European donor funds aren’t transferred directly to Ukraine: “The Czech Initiative companies don’t put in as much effort to get a lower price as our agency does. Saving money is not their priority – the main thing is to purchase the required items.”
Despite these criticisms, both Czech and Ukrainian authorities consider the initiative beneficial for Ukraine’s defense capabilities. Unlike the EU’s initiative to procure one million shells, which was limited to the European Union’s internal market, the Czech program sources ammunition globally, including from countries that don’t want to publicly declare their support for Ukraine.
As of April 2025, European countries had announced contributions totaling 831 million euros ($943 mn) to the initiative for the current year. According to Czech Defense Minister Jana Černochová, Ukraine had received 400,000 shells from the initiative by the end of April.
During a meeting with Czech President Petr Pavel in Prague on 4 May, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine expects to receive a total of 1.8 million shells through the Czech Initiative by the end of 2025.
Read also:
- Czech initiative delivers 400,000 more shells to Ukraine by end of April
- Ukrainian FM: Czech initiative delivers 80% of promised ammunition to Ukraine
- Over one-third of ammo planned under Czech initiative delivered to Ukraine, says envoy
