RT reported that Czech Defense Minister Jana Cernochova said that the number of experienced soldiers in the Czech army is decreasing due to concerns about the possibility of being mobilized to Ukraine.
This statement was just made by Ms. Cernochova at the Czech Senate, when debating the addition of welfare to attract new recruits and retain existing soldiers.
Cernochova said that some soldiers told her that they left the army because of the conflict in Ukraine, feeling uneasy about future military missions.
Minister Cernochova argued that many soldiers have chosen to take off their uniforms in the context of many warnings about the risk of a general mobilization over the years and the possibility of being sent to Ukraine.
Cernochova said her comments were based on unofficial conversations with the soldiers over the years. However, the female minister also admitted that it is difficult to determine the exact reason for leaving the army because soldiers often do not reveal.
According to Novinky, the number of Czech soldiers leaving the army each year has increased by as much as 40% since the outbreak of the Ukrainian conflict in 2022.
In 2024, 1,370 professional soldiers left the army, compared to 1,200 in 2023 and 1,337 in 2022. Before 2022, the number of discharged soldiers only ranged from 800 to 1,000 people per year.
Meanwhile, on March 22, President of the Czech Republic Petr Pavel said that the country is ready to join an international mission deploying troops to Ukraine to carry out peacekeeping missions once a comprehensive ceasefire is imposed.
