The Czech Ministry of Defense has expressed its concern over the Ukrainian army’s practice of spray-painting crosses similar to those used by the Wehrmacht on Czech Dana howitzers donated to the Ukrainian army. Deputy Defense Minister Jan Jireš argued that the practice is damaging Ukraine’s reputation and has contacted the Ukrainian embassy to protest against it.
The practice of spray-painting crosses is a common one among Ukrainian and Russian troops, who use it to distinguish their vehicles from the enemy since they both use the same types of Soviet-era vehicles. However, the Czech Ministry of Defense has argued that the use of symbols associated with the Wehrmacht is inappropriate and damaging to Ukraine’s reputation.
The Czech Ministry of Defense has called on the Ukrainian government to take action to ensure that the practice is stopped and that the symbols associated with the Wehrmacht are not used in the future. It remains to be seen how the Ukrainian government will respond to the Czech Ministry of Defense’s protest.