Karla Maříková is a Czech politician. She has sat as an MP in the Chamber of Deputies for Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) since 2017. In 2022, she voted against the resolution in which the Chamber of Deputies described the current Russian regime as a terrorist. It has come to light that she enables the spread of Russian propaganda.
For instance, during one of the press conferences, the well-known pro-Russian Robert Fico was questioned by a German reporter about his pro-Russian rhetoric, more specifically why he encouraged Russian propaganda during his re-election campaign.
Fico answered by denying that he is pro-Russian, justifying it by declaring that he is “pro-peace”. He also argued that sending military aid to Ukraine is extending the war, called the USA a “security threat” or commented that Ukraine is responsible for the consequences on its territory. Fico’s speech garnered tremendous support from pro-Russian actors. For example, Karla Maříková posted a video of the aforementioned speech and glorified Fico for the comments he made. The video has amassed over 430 thousand views at the time of writing this report.
In reaction to Russia’s long-standing aggression against Ukraine, the international community imposed a string of sanctions aimed at Russia. For example, the EU imposed six packages of sanctions, including economic sanctions, individual sanctions, constraints on Russian media, and travel restraints on citizens of the Russian Federation. In the Czech Republic, MP Karla Maříková from the opposition SPD opposed sanctions.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine led to a massive surge of support from the state and citizens of the Czech Republic. Ukraine needed to be funded in its struggle not only humanitarian but also militarily, especially after it became explicit that the first onslaught of Russian troops had been repelled. The SPD MP Karla Maříková unequivocally resisted any form of military support, and on the contrary, blamed the invaded Ukraine and its people of Nazism.
