Czech lower house calls Russia a terrorist regime

The lower house of Czech parliament designated Russia a terrorist state, in a resolution that condemns attacks on civilians and key energy infrastructure in Ukraine. It also rejects the results of referendums on the Russian annexation of four occupied regions in eastern Ukraine.

The resolution was supported by 129 out of 156 deputies present, while 13 abstained. Only 14 deputies from the far-right Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) voted against it.

The resolution in part stated that the Chamber of Deputies “designates the current Russian regime as terrorist in accordance with the resolution of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.” It also called the Russian referendums in the four eastern regions of Ukraine an attempt to legitimize Russian aggression and the annexation of Ukrainian territory.

The resolution added that the large-scale attacks on the civilian population, civilian objects, and key energy infrastructure are an “obvious attempt to achieve political goals through intimidation of the civilian population and correspond to terrorist methods.”

Mayors and Independents (STAN) Deputy Barbora Urbanová presented the resolution. “The Russian Federation absolutely does not respect the basic rights of people, attacks key infrastructure, and civilian objects, and tries to intimidate Ukrainian citizens and undermine the sovereignty of the state," she said, according to news server Novinky.cz.

The resolution also condemns direct or indirect threats to use nuclear weapons, “as well as false and unfounded accusations of Ukraine planning to use weapons of mass destruction,” adding that these statements are a dangerous escalation of tensions and a threat to pan-European security.

Olga Richterová, deputy speaker of the Chamber and a member of the Pirate party, said Russian President Vladimir Putin and his leadership started the war. "We condemned large-scale attacks on the Ukrainian civilian population or key energy infrastructure. We do not even recognize the results of pseudo-referendums. The aggressors are to stand before an international court,” she said on Twitter.

TOP 09 lower house leader Jan Jakob tweeted that Russia is a terrorist state. "I contributed with my vote because whoever acts like a terrorist is a terrorist. SPD was on the side of Russia. Unsurprisingly," he said.

Some opposition politicians also supported the resolution. “We are witnessing the atrocities that are happening in Ukraine and that were committed there by the Russian army," ANO deputy Jaroslav Bžoch said, according to Novinky.cz. "The actions aim at nothing but breaking the Ukrainian spirit," Bžoch said, adding that ANO "will mostly agree with the resolution."

Tomio Okamura’s SPD movement did not even want to discuss the resolution, according to news server iDnes. The SPD has been critical of the Czech government’s support for Ukraine and had been pushing for the Czech government to negotiate for gas supplies directly with Russia.

SPD deputy Jiří Kobza said Czech financial and military support for Ukraine came at the expense of the Czech people, according to Czech Television. He called for the Czech government to create an international criminal tribunal to investigate “all crimes committed in Ukraine” during the Russian invasion.

The resolution calls for support for the establishment of a tribunal to prosecute crimes of aggression and for investigations leading to prosecutions of war crimes and crimes against humanity.