The Czech government has accused Russia of conducting a propaganda war on its soil and is setting up a unit to counter what it says are networks of pro-Moscow puppet groups.

“We want to get into every smartphone” to counter Russian disinformation, said Milan Chovanec, the Czech interior minister.

The Czech counter-intelligence service said in September that Russia was conducting “an information war” in the Czech Republic, putting in place propaganda agents to destabilise the country.

Speaking at a conference on strategic communications alongside General Petr Pavel, head of Nato’s military committee, Chovanec said a 20-member team in his ministry would act to tackle Russian propaganda in the public domain in real time, including on social media, and train public officials to deal with it.

Image: Czech Interior Minister Milan Chovanec (photo: Milan Chovanec)