Czech government plans no mass repatriation of Ukrainian Czechs

The Czech government is not planning to repatriate ethnic Czechs from Ukraine, Foreign Minister Lubomír Zaorálek told reporters during his visit to the country. Mr Zaorálek is visiting the Czech community in Zhytomyr on Wednesday to address their concerns over the security situation in Ukraine. In March, some 40 ethnically Czech families asked the Czech authorities for assistance with relocating to the Czech Republic, a plea recently backed by President Miloš Zeman. But Minister Zaorálek said members of the Czech community in Ukraine could use existing channels to repatriate. An estimated 5,000 Czechs live in Ukraine where their ancestors settled in the 19th century.

Author: Jan Richter