Jiří Běhounek, whose motto is, “Decisively, politely, and with commitment,” was rumored to become the new minister of health this March. In the end, Petr Arenberger was appointed instead.
Case Vrbětice
During the 2014 explosions in Vrbětice, I was the deputy chairman of the government. I was also on the State security council. The fact that these explosions, which not only caused immense material damage but also cost the lives of two experienced workers, would later turn out to be the responsibility of the Russian secret service had not even crossed my mind.
Russian, but also Chinese secret services have been very active in Czechia in recent years. This has also been indicated by the public sections of reports coming from the Safety information service (BIS in Czech). Due to being chair of the Standing committee for oversight of BIS, I am also aware of how these activities are described in the confidential reports of the counterintelligence unit. It is no secret that the Russian embassy is very well populated compared to what it would normally be in a country our size. Already during the last electoral term, Ivan Gabal, the then M.P. for KDU-ČSL, had brought attention to the extremely high number of Russian diplomats in our territory and called for a solution. A partial cut of that number only came this year – after the information about the involvement of Russian agents in the Vrbětice disaster went public.
The only explanation
Activities of Russian services in our territory are long-term, extensive, and they depend on many Czech people who serve them. Be it based on conviction, stupidity, or personal gain. Sadly, we can even see these people in the ruling political parties. Clearly, our country is a welcome home base for pro-Russian activities. Hatred towards the EU, NATO, and their member states, spreading of forgeries, hybrid warfare, influencing the public opinion, all of these and more we have been aware of for quite some time. A foreign secret service daring to attempt an operation like the one in Vrbětice, however, I did not expect.
There is only one explanation. The explosions were no accident, and GRU agents are responsible for them. It is blatantly obvious. In no way do I think that these two agents and their potential co-conspirators should be considered clumsy because their charges went off before they were supposed to. Human error and equipment failure happens even to the very best. What happened is nonetheless absolutely audacious, and our citizens dying as a result is absolutely unacceptable.
A lesson learned
We have to learn something from this affair. A very strict order has to be kept in facilities belonging to the Ministry of Defence (even if they are merely being rented) where military equipment is stored and handled. We have to keep in mind that there exist countries with virtually no constraints. That there are agents who are licensed to kill and they do so in our territory. We also have to support our agencies, be it the BIS or the NCOZ (National office for organised crime), who did a tremendous job overall, but also specifically in connecting the two attackers from Salisbury to the case in Vrbětice after so many years.
I agree with Mirek Topolánek who once said that he likes Russia, the Russians, their music, art, and literature, but hates Russian imperialism. We must not succumb to uncivilised anti-Russian sentiment, but we have to be vigilant when it comes to a regime that is capable of operations like the one in Salisbury or Vrbětice.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Pavel Bělobrádek, Ph.D., MPA, D.V.M., (born December 25, 1976, in Náchod) is an M.P. for KDU-ČSL and representative of the Hradec Králové region as well as the city of Náchod.
#He graduated from the Faculty of Veterinary Hygiene and Ecology of the University in Brno as well as the CEVRO institute's Liberal-conservative academy and postgraduate MPA programme - Safety and Crisis Management.
He entered the KDU-ČSL in 2004, and acted as its chairman for 9 years. He was the deputy chairman of the government for 4 years.
He has three children with his wife Jana: Josef, Anežka, and Marie.
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