Around 70,000 people gathered in Prague's historic center Saturday to rally against the Czech government, accusing it of paying more attention to war-ravaged Ukraine than to its own citizens, reported AFP.

Called "Czech Republic in the first place", the protest highlighted growing inflation dragged upwards by a spike in energy prices, Covid-19 vaccination as well as immigrants.

Protesters in Prague's iconic Wenceslas Square demanded the resignation of the center-right government of Petr Fiala, which had taken office last December.

"The best for Ukrainians and two sweaters for us," read a banner, a reference to concerns over winter heating bills.

Energy prices are growing across Europe following a drop in gas supplies from Russia, which has also seen electricity prices rise.

"The rally in Wenceslas Square is quiet, we didn't have to deal with any serious problems. We estimate the number of participants at about 70,000 as of 1230 GMT," Czech police said on Twitter.

The Czech Republic, which currently holds the rotating EU presidency, has received around 400,000 refugees from Ukraine since it was invaded by Russia on February 24 and provided substantial military and humanitarian aid to the war-torn country.

Fiala's government survived a no-confidence vote in parliament on Friday, initiated by two opposition parties -- the centrist populist ANO of former billionaire prime minister Andrej Babis and the far-right SPD movement.

Fiala told reporters the rally was organized by "pro-Russian people who are close to extremist positions and whose interests run counter to the interests of the Czech Republic".

"It is clear that Russian propaganda and disinformation campaigns are present on our territory and some people simply listen to them," he added.