Czech officials – including PM Bohuslav Sobotka – have expressed concerns that dozens of fake news articles, believed to be funded by Russia, are threatening the fairness of the upcoming election. "They have a potential of not only threatening our security, but they may also have a fatal impact on democratic principles and institutions," Sobotka said. As a reaction, the Czech government has launched a specialized anti-fake news unit, the Center against Terrorism and Hybrid Threats, under the Interior Ministry with a mandate to publicly debunk fake news and build defense against hacking.