Czechia will use part of Russian frozen assets profits to fund Ukraine’s ammunition

The European Union has officially tasked Czechia to use revenues from frozen Russian assets to fund the next ammunition supply for Ukraine, Czech Defence Minister Jana Černochová said on Tuesday (20 August).

The process mirrors previous efforts under the Czech-led ammunition initiative, which has already seen significant international collaboration, with contributions from 15 countries.

The procedure will be similar to other cases under this initiative. The Czech defence ministry will, according to the requirements of the donor of the money – in this case, the EU – broker the purchase of ammunition to meet urgent military needs specified by the Ukrainian side.

“This is another demonstration of the confidence of our foreign partners in the effectiveness of the Czech munitions initiative,” Černochová said.

“It was based on the success of this initiative that the European Union approached us a few weeks ago to use the proceeds from frozen Russian assets to purchase ammunition for Ukraine,” she added.

Over the past months, Prague has conducted these purchases discreetly, primarily sourcing ammunition from non-European countries and without disclosing its specific origin.

The secrecy is essential as some of these suppliers may also be involved in providing arms to Russia or prefer to remain anonymous to avoid political and diplomatic repercussions.

The planned use of Russian assets in the Czech initiative follows the EU’s decision in May to repurpose these assets, seized initially in response to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, to provide immediate military support to Kyiv.

Earlier this month, the European Commission announced it would transfer the first tranche of proceeds from frozen Russian assets to Ukraine, amounting to €1.5 billion, part of which will be allocated to the Czech initiative.

While the exact amount allocated and timing have not been disclosed yet, the funds are expected to bolster Ukraine’s defence efforts significantly.

“This is a unique opportunity to support Ukraine, to use resources originally belonging to Russia, and to save public funds of European countries,” Černochová said, adding that these funds could supply “several hundred thousand pieces of large-calibre ammunition” to Ukraine.

Deliveries of this ammunition, funded by Russian assets, are expected to begin in the coming months.

The EU’s decision comes amid wider international discussions about military aid to Ukraine, as the German government has come under fire for its apparent decision to stop providing financial assistance to Ukraine from its federal budget in 2025.

[Edited by Alexandra Brzozowski/Martina Monti]