Czech president insists on monitoring Russians in the West

Czech President Petr Pavel, who recently spoke about the need to monitor Russians living in Western countries more closely, confirmed his words in an interview with CNN Prima News and added that he insists on this.

On Friday, in an interview with Radio Liberty, Pavel said that the security services should monitor Russians living in the West, calling it "just the price" of the Kremlin's war against Ukraine.

Later, the Office of the President of the Czech Republic explained that the "strict monitoring regime" does not apply to every individual Russian, but to those "who constitute risk factors."

On Sunday, Pavel confirmed his words in an interview with CNN Prima News. He emphasized that he really "insists on this", arguing his position that Russia is a country that is waging an aggressive war and denies the authority of international rules and laws.

"This is a country that calls us its enemy, that through the mouths of its top officials threatens others with military strikes, including the use of nuclear weapons, and a country that committed an act of terrorism in our country," the president said.

Speaking about Russian terrorism in the Czech Republic, Pavel was referring to the 2014 explosions at ammunition depots in Vrbětice, which he believes could have been carried out by Russian special services.

He explained that monitoring the Russians does not mean monitoring every single one of them.

"This means comprehensive monitoring of what is happening in this (Russian – ed.) community and responding to behavioral risk factors," Pavel noted.

On Friday, Pavel opposed the narrative that the war against Ukraine is waged only by the dictator Vladimir Putin, and not by the Russian population.