CZECHIA PREPARES TWO BRIGADES FOR POSSIBLE DEFENSE OF THE BALTICS
The Czech Republic is prepared to deploy two mechanized brigades if Russia attacks a Baltic NATO member, Prime Minister Andrej Babiš has said.
“Of course, we are preparing. If—God forbid—Russia were to attack one of the Baltic states, we would be required under Article 5 to deploy two of our mechanized brigades,” Babiš stated.
He added that Czech officials are actively discussing the country’s response plans but would not disclose classified details.
Article 5 treats an armed attack against one NATO member as an attack against them all. Although every ally determines the precise form of its assistance, Babiš’s statement makes Prague’s intended military contribution unusually explicit.
That matters because Babiš was previously criticized for suggesting Czech soldiers would not fight for an ally. Now, even a leader who has reduced Czech military support for Ukraine is publicly acknowledging that Russian aggression against the Baltic states would require Czech troops to act.
Years of Russian invasions, sabotage, cyberattacks, airspace violations and nuclear threats have not weakened NATO. They have expanded it.
Finland and Sweden have joined the alliance. NATO’s eastern flank now contains nine multinational battlegroups, and governments are planning the forces they would deploy before a crisis begins.
The change in tone is unmistakable. European leaders are speaking with greater confidence—and growing anger—because Moscow has spent years threatening their countries and testing their restraint.
NATO does not seek a war with Russia. But the alliance Russia once hoped to divide is larger, more heavily defended and increasingly direct about what would happen if the Kremlin crossed its border.
Moscow has created the very NATO posture it claimed to fear.