On March 29, 2023, he caused outrage and a media storm[2] with his comments on Czech TV on the dispute over the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris in connection with Russian aggression in Ukraine.

He was invited to an interview on Studio ČT24[3] as the Czech Olympic Committee Sportsmen's Commission chairman.

[4] Several personalities criticized his statements,[5] for example, Dominik Hašek, who declared on Twitter that Svoboda supported Russian propaganda and crimes, including the genocide of Ukrainian children, and must bear the consequences for this.

[7] Journalist Jiří X. Doležal even commented that he should be stripped of his functions and uniform and tried for questioning genocide under Section 405 of the Czech Criminal Code.

"[11] The director of DUKLA Army Sports Center, Pavel Benc, announced that Svoboda would receive a written reprimand because he neglected the obligation of a professional soldier "to behave even outside of duty in such a way as not to endanger the seriousness and credibility of the armed forces.