Author: Vojtěch Berger, HlidaciPes.org
After several years living and studying in Russia, Jakub Zieba, a member of the municipal council in the city of Plzeň, has become an integral part of Russian propaganda. In some interviews, he appears, among other things, as the coordinator of the Kremlin’s Victory Volunteers movement, which is subject to international sanctions. And while his hometown of Pilsen has commemorated the anniversary of its liberation in 1945 by the Americans this May, Zieba plays this down in the Russian state media as a rewriting of history.
Jakub Zieba once again did not attend the April council meeting of the Plzeň 1 district, where he was elected in 2022 as a substitute for the xenophobe populist SPD movement. He has been living and studying in Volgograd, Russia, for several years, and his colleagues from the council have therefore limited his maximum number of remote video appearances at the meetings to no more than two per year.
However, it is not only the fact that the Pilsen municipal politician does not perform his duties in the city where he was elected that is controversial, but also Zieba’s long-standing views – specifically, his adoration of Russia.
Under the banner of „preserving historical memory“, a term common in Russian propaganda jargon, Zieba is involved in various projects aimed at spreading the glory of the former Soviet Union, as well as the current Kremlin regime.
Last year, Jakub Zieba founded a non-profit organization called „Stalingrad Heritage“ in the Czech Republic. In February, it organized a commemoration of the anniversary of the Battle of Stalingrad in Prague, and in April and May, it participated in a series of commemorative events marking the anniversary of the end of the WWII.
Spreading Kremlin’s echo
Zieba’s activities have been reported on remarkably often by Russian state media, such as the TASS agency. In April, it also covered his association’s reenactment of the liberation of the city of Hodonín.
According to information he posted on his social media accounts, Zieba also got married in Russia. This information is not just a mention of his private life. Together with his wife, he participates in a federal project to preserve traditional family values, funded by grants from the Russian president.
Last year, the Pilsen local representative, along with other Czech citizens, participated in the World Youth Festival in Sochi. Vladimir Putin and other leaders of the Kremlin regime also appeared at the festival. The Russian side paid for the participants’ travel and accommodation.
Last year’s youth festival was followed by other activities that continue to this day. In the beginning of May, Jakub Zieba posted a video showing that he was currently on a five-day „program for foreign bloggers“ in St. Petersburg and the surrounding area. And while Pilsen was just celebrating the anniversary of the city’s liberation by the US Army, he commemorated the same anniversary in Russia.
In one of the published video clips, Zieba is seen talking to Russian state television, where he talks about the alleged „exaggeration of American merits“ in the liberation of Czechoslovakia and the attempt to „rewrite historical memory“. Russian propaganda has been using the same rhetoric for a long time, even long before this year’s anniversary of the end of the war.
One of the Russian media articles about Zieba’s group’s visit to St. Petersburg was accompanied by a banner encouraging people to join the Russian army, specifically the so-called „special military operation“ – a term used by the Kremlin for its invasion of Ukraine.
Tourism or propaganda trips?
A network of cooperating organizations helps bring Zieba’s activities to the Czech Republic. The February event in Prague was organized with the help of the Ne základnám (No to Military Bases) association and other organizations close to the Communist Party or the communist-aligned Stačilo! (Enough!) political movement have also joined in.
Also worth mentioning is the promotion of tourism to Russia through the Jedeme do Ruska (Let’s Go to Russia) platform, which Jakub Zieba promotes on his social networks. „If you choose Volgograd, you’ll see me!“ he wrote about the trips to Russian cities organized by the aforementioned platform.
„Jedeme do Ruska“ is run by Czech owners Lucie Vinterová and Ondřej Polívka. They confirmed their collaboration with Jakub Zieba on Facebook, saying it began during one of their visits to Volgograd: „On each of our trips here this summer, you will also be able to meet him and talk about life here,“ they wrote.
Zieba allegedly asked representatives of the Jedeme do Ruska platform to share an invitation to his February event in Prague, which they did repeatedly on their Facebook account in January and February.
Although Vinterová and Polívka claim on social media that they „do not discuss politics“ during their trips to Russia with the Czech tourists, the itinerary of their Russian trips includes concerts by the propagandist singer Shaman. He is also subject to international sanctions for his repeated support of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
