According to a ministry statement issued on 16 October 2026, Defence Minister Jaromír Zůna (SPD) instructed the Chief of the General Staff, Miroslav Hlaváč, to initiate the transfer of Radek Haratek, commander of the Information and Cyber Forces Command, to another post. The ministry said it issued the statement because public discussion of Haratek's tenure was developing in a misleading direction.[1][2]
Timeline According to the Ministry
Haratek himself had requested that his service be terminated before his service commitment expired. Hlaváč forwarded the request to the minister on 2 September. The ministry assessed it as insufficiently justified under the relevant regulations and therefore did not grant it. Zůna subsequently, after an overall evaluation, instructed Hlaváč to initiate the transfer. On 1 October, Hlaváč held a personnel discussion with Haratek about possible changes to his posting.[1][2]
According to the ministry, a decision on Haratek's posting will also be needed in the near future in light of career regulations. Haratek has held the post of commander since May 2023.[1][2]
Earlier Investigations
The ministry recalled that various investigations had been conducted in connection with Haratek's command and leadership. It identified the Karel and Volby 2025 projects as the most serious, which it said were related to the monitoring and analysis of the information environment, including on social media. The cases were investigated by the Military Police under the supervision of a public prosecutor and were then handed over to the then Chief of the General Staff, Karel Řehka, for disciplinary resolution. The ministry stressed that this was a long-standing matter dating from the tenure of the previous ministry leadership.[1][2]
According to the ministry, Prime Minister Andrej Babiš inquired in writing about the handling of the case on 17 September and received a reply describing the measures taken on 30 September.[1][2]
Earlier Dispute
The dispute was triggered by Zůna's statement, made in response to a parliamentary interpellation, that he had ordered Hlaváč to remove the general. According to both media outlets, this was first reported by Ekonomický deník.[1][2]
Related entries: Jaromír Zůna, Radek Haratek
The General Staff's Position on the Order
According to a reply from General Staff spokeswoman Zdeňka Sobarňa Košvancová to questions from Ekonomický deník, Brigadier General Radek Haratek remains in his post as commander of the Information and Cyber Forces Command and has the confidence of the Chief of the General Staff, Miroslav Hlaváč.[3] The spokeswoman said Haratek is the commander and continues in the post.[3]
Asked whether Hlaváč intended to comply with Defence Minister Jaromír Zůna's order to remove Haratek, the General Staff did not answer directly. It said only that it does not comment on personnel matters or potential personnel steps. Růžička told Ekonomický deník that Haratek's removal was a first step, but that in his view it only addressed the consequences rather than establishing full systemic accountability. The General Staff also did not respond to a question about the content of the meeting between Hlaváč and Haratek in Olomouc, which Ekonomický deník reported was being arranged on 14 October 2026.[3]
Deputy Pavel Růžička (ANO), whose interpellation prompted the minister's response, said he was relying on that response and had no issue meeting with anyone from the military. He acknowledged that he may have made a mistake by not meeting with Haratek earlier and not clarifying certain matters at the outset. He added that his movement had been in opposition at the time and he had not wanted to interfere in the matter.[3]
Interpellation and the General Staff's Statement
Zůna addressed Haratek's removal in his response to an interpellation by Pavel Růžička (ANO), deputy chairman of the Chamber of Deputies' Defence Committee. According to the response, Chief of the General Staff Miroslav Hlaváč was instructed to remove Haratek from the head of the Information and Cyber Forces Command and transfer him to another post. According to Zůna, the army will not collect information on social media users.[4]
According to the same response to the interpellation by Deputy Pavel Růžička (ANO), deputy chairman of the Chamber of Deputies' Defence Committee, the Military Police secured written and electronic documentation on the Karel and Volby 2025 projects; these were also reported on by Echo24 and FORUM 24. They suggested that the tasks had originated from Haratek, who could assign them directly to the centers of individual units, thereby bypassing the chain of command, and that the activities may have taken place outside the unit's planned preparation. The Military Police concluded that military regulations on command and control principles may have been violated, but it did not find sufficient grounds for a criminal offense. It did not charge anyone and referred the matter to the army command for disciplinary proceedings.[4][5]
In August 2025, Růžička filed a criminal complaint concerning both projects, alleging that the army had been collecting information on politicians. The then Chief of the General Staff, Karel Řehka, denied this and described Růžička's information as misleading. Růžička does not consider Haratek's removal a sufficient establishment of accountability, calling it a first step that addresses the consequences but does not establish full systemic accountability.[4]
According to Ekonomický deník, the General Staff later stated that Haratek remains the commander and continues in the post, and the same outlet reported that the spokeswoman confirmed he has the confidence of the Chief of the General Staff. Asked whether Hlaváč intended to comply with Zůna's order, the General Staff did not answer directly and declined to comment on personnel steps. The outlet reports that, according to its information from 14 October 2026, Hlaváč was planning to go to Olomouc to meet Haratek; the General Staff did not disclose the content of the meeting.[3]
Chronology
- — The Ministry of Defence announced that Minister Jaromír Zůna had instructed Chief of the General Staff Miroslav Hlaváč to propose transferring Radek Haratek, commander of the information and cyber forces, to another post, after the ministry had declined his request to end his service. Seznam Zprávy Hospodářské noviny
- — Defence Minister Jaromír Zůna (for SPD), according to his reply to an interpellation, instructed the Chief of the General Staff to dismiss Radek Haratek, commander of the Information and Cyber Forces Command; the General Staff later said that Haratek remains in his post. Echo24 FORUM 24
Sources
- Seznam Zprávy — 16 October 2026
- Hospodářské noviny — 16 October 2026
- Ekonomický deník — 14 October 2026
- Echo24
- FORUM 24