Czech politician Kupka criticizes MP Rajchl's participation in conference with sanctioned Russian commentator

Czech ODS chairman Martin Kupka has criticized the participation of MP Jindřich Rajchl in a conference organized by the Svatopluk association in Prague. The event features Fyodor Lukyanov, a Russian political commentator and editor-in-chief of Russia in Global Affairs, who is currently under European Union sanctions for providing ideological support to Russian aggression against Ukraine.

Kupka urged Prime Minister Andrej Babiš to distance himself from Rajchl’s involvement, describing the event as an “odporné putinovské seanci” (revolting Putinist session). Kupka noted the timing is particularly sensitive given the ongoing Russian hybrid warfare against the Czech Republic.

Rajchl has rejected the criticism, labeling Kupka’s comments as “primitivního vyhrožování” (primitive threats). He defended his participation as an opportunity to present his own views and seek ways to de-escalate the conflict, citing the travel of American diplomats to Moscow as a precedent for engagement.