Czech Republic

Three tunnels form part of the complex under the city

A European city has an extensive network of tunnels beneath it. The Blanka Tunnel Complex is the longest city tunnel in Europe and runs for a total length of 5,502 meters.

The tunnel sits under Prague and is the longest road tunnel in the Czech Republic. It connects the area west of Prague Castle with the Trója district in the North-east of the city.

Three tunnels, consisting of the Bubenečský, Dejvický, and Brusnický, make up the complex, which was designed to relieve heavy traffic from the history city centre. In its first 49 months since opening, it was used by 139 million cars.

Today, it is estimated that 88,000 vehicles use the tunnel every day. The Blanka Tunnel Complex opened on September 19, 2015, but it was a long time coming.

Construction launched in 2006, but it was planned since 1993. The tunnel was due to open in 2011, but the biggest and most expensive project in Prague was delayed by four years.

It cost 43 billion crowns, which is £1.5 billion today and doesn’t include all construction costs. During the construction of the tunnel complex, there were three landfalls.

The incident occurred twice in the Stromovka park, creating a hole measuring 15 to 25 meters. Another landfall happened in the garden area of the Ministry of Culture in Hradčany.

Since opening, the Blanka Tunnel Complex has undergone continuous maintenance. There is 24/7 monitoring by a dedicated control centre that works night shifts to service lights, ventilation systems, cabling and drainage.

Last year, the tunnel marked its 10th anniversary. Prague Daily News said: “It relieved congestion in the city centre, reduced journey times, and took vehicle traffic underground.

“Since its opening, around 780 million vehicles have passed through the tunnel.

“The Dejvický Tunnel has borne the greatest load with more than 271 million vehicles, followed by the Brusnický Tunnel with almost 266 million and the Bubenečský Tunnel with 236 million vehicles.

“Although Blanka has been in regular operation for years, the approval process for part of the project is still not fully concluded.

“A formal decision by the Administrative Court has meant that the relevant section continues to operate only under provisional use.

“Observers, however, expect a final acceptance soon.”

Moscow condemned the action of the Czech police, calling the detainment a ‘provocation’.

Czech police have detained a Russian cleric after four containers of a suspicious white substance were discovered in his car.

Orthodox Bishop Hilarion was detained in the town of Karlovy Vary, according to a statement released on his Telegram channel by his defence team on Monday.

The arrest sparked claims of provocation from Moscow against Czechia’s government, despite Prague having reduced its support for Ukraine since it took office six months ago.

Bishop Hilarion, 60, whose secular name is Grigory Alfeyev, heads the Russian Orthodox Church’s congregation in the western town, which hosts a sizeable Russian diaspora.

The cleric denied any involvement in drug possession. “I have no connection and have never had any connection to the illegal trafficking of narcotic substances,” he said in the statement.

Czech police said only that a man was detained on Sunday evening on a highway between Karlovy Vary and Prague, adding that interrogations were under way and no one had been charged, without disclosing the detainee’s identity.

The Czech Drug Enforcement Centre said it had also acted on an anonymous tip-off reporting the transport of narcotic and psychotropic substances.

Hilarion’s defence said police offered no clear reason for stopping the vehicle and that two patrol cars appeared to be waiting for it on the road.

Hilarion was not permitted to observe the search, his lawyer said, adding that the defence was demanding independent forensic analysis of the substance along with fingerprint and DNA checks.

‘Provocation’

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called the incident an “orchestrated provocation” aimed at discrediting Hilarion, and demanded his immediate release.

“The head of the Czech diplomatic ⁠mission in Moscow will shortly be summoned to ⁠the Russian Foreign Ministry, where a strong protest will be lodged regarding the unacceptable high-handedness of the Czech authorities,” she said.

Russian media reported that the detention followed months of anonymous threats against Hilarion, including threats of physical violence demanding he leave his post in Karlovy Vary.

Hilarion was once considered the right-hand man of Patriarch Kirill – the head of the Russian Orthodox Church and a pillar of support for President Vladimir Putin and his war on Ukraine.

However, the priest reportedly fell out of favour with Moscow’s spiritual authorities and was sent abroad in 2022, shortly after Russia’s invasion.

His assignment to the Czech Republic came after a former aide brought sexual misconduct charges against him, allegations Hilarion denied, claiming the aide had attempted to extort €384,000 from him.

Unlike many senior Russian clergymen who have publicly backed the war in Ukraine, Hilarion has never publicly commented on the conflict.

Separately on Monday, the Czech government, a coalition of populist and far-right parties that took office in December, announced that it had approved a legal amendment ⁠that would ⁠tighten rules for Ukrainian refugees’ stays and financial support. It said it was responding to the abuse of ⁠aid, and the perception that refugees had some advantages over locals.

Petr Vlachovsky, ⁠a Czech women’s football club coach who filmed players in changing rooms, has been banned for life.

European football’s governing body says it has issued a lifetime ban ⁠to Petr Vlachovsky, ⁠a Czech women’s football coach who secretly filmed his players.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, UEFA’s Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body (CEDB) said it had decided to ban Vlachovsky “from exercising any football-related activity for life” following an investigation into allegations of potential misconduct.

“The CEDB further decided to request FIFA to extend the abovementioned ban on a worldwide level and to order the Football Association of the Czech Republic to revoke Mr Petr Vlachovsky’s coaching licence,” the statement added.

Czech media reported that the coach was convicted in ⁠May 2025 and initially received a suspended one-year prison sentence and a five-year domestic coaching ban for filming FC Slovacko’s players in changing rooms, the youngest of ⁠whom was 17. According to the indictment cited by the Czech media, Vlachovsky confessed and expressed regret.

Vlachovsky had also previously served as coach of the Czech women’s Under-19 team.

“This is a deeply serious and distressing matter which came to light ⁠in 2023 and had a significant impact on our club, ⁠and above all on the players affected,” a spokesperson for FC Slovacko told the Reuters news agency.

“From the moment we became aware of the allegations, the club acted immediately, terminated its cooperation with the former coach, and ⁠cooperated with the relevant authorities.

“Throughout this process, the club has regarded itself as an injured party and has treated the ⁠matter with the utmost seriousness, sensitivity and respect for ⁠those affected.”

Football players’ union FIFPRO welcomed the ban as well as UEFA’s request for world football governing body FIFA to impose an international ban on Vlachovsky.

“This outcome sends a strong and necessary message that abusive and inappropriate behaviour has no place in football and ‌that ‌safeguarding the wellbeing of players must remain a priority at every level of the game,” FIFPRO added in a statement.