Russians abroad should be watched, Czech president says

June 15, 2023

Czech President Petr Pavel said on Thursday that Russians living in Western countries should be closely monitored by security services as citizens of a country at war with Ukraine.

This former NATO general went so far as to compare the situation of Russians living in Western countries with that of the population of Japanese origin living in the United States during the Second World War, of whom approximately 120,000 had been placed in internment camps.

“All Russians living in Western countries should be watched much more than before because they are citizens of a nation that is waging an aggressive war,” Pavel told Prague-based Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, funded by the US. UNITED STATES.

“I can feel sorry for these people, but at the same time, when we look back, when World War II started, the entire Japanese population living in the United States was also under a strict surveillance regime. That’s the sheer cost of war,” he said.

Asked by the journalist, following this historical reference, what he meant by “surveillance”, the Czech president replied: “It means under the surveillance of the security services”.

During World War II, 120,000 people of Japanese descent in the United States were placed in internment camps, a policy for which President George Bush apologized to Japan in 1991.

A former head of NATO’s military committee, Mr Pavel has been Czech president since March after winning elections two months earlier.

The head of state, who visited Ukraine in April, also said he expected the July NATO summit in Vilnius to express clear support for that country’s membership in the Covenant.

“I am firmly convinced that all leaders will understand that the presence of Ukraine in NATO and the European Union is probably the only guarantee to ensure stability in this region, to strengthen both NATO and the EU , and keep Russia and its aggressive policies at bay,” Pavel said.

“I see a number of countries agreeing on a long-term support plan for Ukraine which will not be based on one-off contributions but on a carefully planned long-term procedure,” he added.

A NATO and EU member of 10.8 million, the Czech Republic has provided Kyiv with substantial humanitarian and military aid since the Russian invasion. It has also taken in nearly half a million war refugees from Ukraine.