It’s probably no coincidence that one of the first two countries on Russia’s unfriendlies list is fronting an ammunition program in the West’s face-off with Russia. It’s rather strange, though, that the CR is being so loud about it. PM Petr Fiala wrote in the Financial Times that it’s positive that the effort has attracted so much international attention. Foreign Min. Jan Lipavský told Bloomberg that the promise of more shells allows Ukraine to use up its existing stocks. Dep. Dir. Otakar Foltýn of the Castle’s military office repeated this on ČT and added that Ukraine is fully dependent on whether Western democracies provide it with enough military supplies. All the while, Russian hardliners, such as Dmitri Trenin (at 35m and here), are calling for their country to stop exercising restraint in responding to Western involvement. If Russia’s No. 2 enemy is sending shells to Ukraine and boasts about it, it’s almost daring Russia to blow them up before they reach the front line. Remember Vrbětice?

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