For the Czech defense company Czechoslovak Group (CSG), the war in Ukraine has become a springboard that has turned it into one of the largest arms manufacturers in Central Europe. In 2024, when CSG became an active participant in the Czech Initiative, its revenues from Ukraine quadrupled, from €0.4 billion to €1.7 billion. The owner of the company Michal Strnad became a billionaire with a net worth of $5 billion.

CSG sends millions of artillery shells to Ukraine, the latest Dita self-propelled howitzers, Tatra all-terrain vehicles for Neptunes and Bogans. And it is developing ammunition production directly in Ukraine. "Why us? Because we are a large defense company with experience and access to global markets," says LIGA.net director of External Relations at CSG Jan Hamacek. How much does military cooperation cost, why are there scandals around the company, and will the purchase of factories in the US affect the supply of weapons to the Ukrainian Armed Forces?

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