Czech President warns Russian troops fighting in Ukraine; 'Go home before it's too late'

Czech President Petr Pavel wrote a message on the military vehicles for the invading Russian troops during his visit to Ukraine on Saturday, April 29. Pavel asked the Russians "to get out of Ukraine" as he scribbled on the fleet of Ukrainian armoured vehicles that will be used in the upcoming counter-offensive around May 15.

The Czech leader shared the visuals on his official Twitter handle, wherein he wrote: "I know this feeling. Your unit is moving to the contact line, and you want to go with it; you want to lead and set an example. As a commander, I was always there for my soldiers. And now, this is no longer my role. I came here to encourage them." Further, he said, "We are with you. You will avenge the fallen, you will uphold freedom. Russia, go home."

Znám ten pocit. Vaše jednotka míří na frontu, chcete jít s nimi, chcete jít příkladem. Jako velitel jsem svým vojákům vždy stál po boku. Dnes už to není moje role. Přijel jsem, abych jim dodal odvahu.

Jsme s vámi. Pomstíte své padlé, získáte zpět svou svobodu. Russia, Go Home! pic.twitter.com/SOTur62YC5

— Petr Pavel (@prezidentpavel) April 29, 2023

NATO's retired general Petr Pavel, a decorated war hero known for his pro-Western drive, was sworn in as the Czech Republic's new president in March. He won the January 2023 Presidential runoff after defeating ex-Czech PM Andrej Babis. Owing to his military record, the 61-year-old had vowed to "restore order" in the EU and in the NATO bloc as war raged on in Ukraine's eastern flank. 

Credit: Twitter/@prezidentpavel

Pavel also attended the NATO security conference in Munich in February where he warned the West to be cautious, pressing for Russia’s defeat in order to avoid undesirable scenarios. During a Ukrainian Lunch hosted by the Victor Pinchuk Foundation as part of the Munich Security Conference, Pavel met with Ukraine Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and acknowledged that there was "no alternative" to regaining control over the 2014 Russian annexed Crimea. 

Ex-NATO General visits Borodyanka and Bucha; witnesses tragedy of Yahidne

As the Russia-Ukraine conflict's longest ground battle rages to capture the ruined city of Bakhmut in eastern Donbass, Czech President Pavel together with his Slovak counterpart Zuzana Caputova, made a two-day visit to the war-ravaged country. He arrived in Poland on Sunday morning, concluding his in-person meeting with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Pavel visited Borodyanka and Bucha, the two razed Ukrainian towns that depict stories of atrocities committed by the Russian troops.  Zelenskyy had previously claimed that the suspected Russian killings of civilians were "more dreadful" in  Borodyanka than the town of Bucha 35 kilometres northwest of the capital Kyiv near Irpin where nearly 300 people were found in mass graves. 

Credit: Twitter/@prezidentpavel

Moving from support to cooperation is now the main goal in UA. It does not end in Kyiv.

Today I headed further east to show that CZ is serious about patronage over the Dnipropetrovsk Region. I assured Governor Serhiy Lysak that they are not alone regarding the reconstruction. pic.twitter.com/fu83iA1iBi

— Petr Pavel (@prezidentpavel) April 29, 2023

The Republic's team that reported LIVE from the war zone in the northwestern town had verified the images of the battered bodies strewn across the streets that Russia deflected by calling it “Ukrainian propaganda” back in April last year. Republic’s Shawan Sen confirmed from the ground that there were numerous hastily dug graves that told the story of horror and carnage committed by the Russian troops as dozens of bodies in black plastic bags were found dumped in a trench. 

Pavel, during his Ukrainian visit, along with the Slovak President travelled to the north of Kyiv and Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, as well as Chernihiv. They witnessed first-hand the infamous basement in the village of Yahidne, where Russian forces allegedly held several hundred people captive for almost 28 days. Hosting a pre-war population of some 300 inhabitants, Yahidne was a stopover for Russia's invading soldiers on their way to the capital Kyiv. During the occupation, they made entrenched camps and held civilians as 'human shields', according to statements recorded by Ukraine's military. Yahidne is the smallest village in the Chernihiv region and Ukraine's armed forces had speculated that it would be spared when Russians launched the large-scale offensive on February 24, 2022.