Morning Briefing │ Thursday, March 14th, 2024

* POLITICS:

The Russian authorities have begun criminal proceedings against 50 politicians and officials in five European states, including two Czech ones, over the demolition of monuments to Red Army soldiers, iDnes.cz reported on Wednesday. Among those on the list are the former and current mayors of Prague 6, Ondřej Kolář and Jakub Stárek.

* ECONOMY:

The Czech-based carmaker Škoda saw its operating profit increase by 182 percent year-on-year to almost CZK 45 billion last year, while sales rose by 26 percent. The information was published by German car company Volkswagen, which owns Škoda Auto, in an annual report.

* ANNIVERSARIES:

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier will speak at a conference at Prague Castle on April 30 marking the 20th anniversary of Czech accession to the European Union. The information was released by the Czech Office of the President on Wednesday. Czechia became a member of the EU on May 1, 2004.

* UKRAINE:

Ukraine will soon start receiving munitions purchased under an initiative created by Czechia, the Ukrainian foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, said on Wednesday, the news outlet Ukrainska Pravda reported. Last month Czechia announced a plan to secure 800,000 artillery shells for Ukraine from states outside the EU and NATO.

* CULTURE:

The One World International Human Rights Film Festival kicks off in Prague on Wednesday 20 March. The festival will open with the Oscar-winning documentary 20 Days in Mariupol.