The Ukrainian flag, which had been flying on the facade of Prague’s National Museum since the Russian invasion in 2022, has been taken down.

In its place now hangs a banner promoting an exhibition of the Ethiopian fossils Lucy and Selam, lent to the Czech Republic for the first time.

Museum officials confirmed that the decision was tied to promoting the exhibition, not to political pressure.

“The National Museum is currently the only institution in Europe displaying the original fossils of human ancestors Lucy and Selam. To highlight this world-class event, we need to use all available space on the historic building’s facade,” said spokesperson Kristina Kvapilová in a statement to Novinky.cz.

The change has fueled speculation online that the Ethiopian side requested the flag’s removal as a condition for lending the fossils.

Political context has also intensified the debate. Some parties, including the far-right SPD, have repeatedly called for Ukrainian flags to be removed from state buildings. SPD leader Tomio Okamura wrote on Facebook earlier this year: “If the SPD is in government after this year’s elections, the Ukrainian flags will be taken down from all state buildings in a second.”

Similar views were voiced by the left-wing Stačilo! movement, whose spokesman Roman Roun described the flag’s presence as “ingratiating oneself with the West.”

On the other hand, ANO’s deputy chairman Karel Havlíček downplayed the matter, saying in August, “We are preparing a program. We have more important things to do than deal with flags.”

The blue-and-yellow flag was first displayed in February 2022 as a gesture of solidarity following Russia’s full-scale invasion.

Its presence has not been without controversy. In March 2023, during an anti-government protest on Wenceslas Square, activist Jaroslav Popelka demanded the flag’s removal.

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