On Sunday, Slovaks commemorated 54 years since Warsaw Pact armies led by the Soviet Union invaded the territory of Czechoslovakia, thus ending the efforts to reform socialism in the country under the so-called Prague Spring. “Let us look again at the dramatic images of August 1968 and pay our respects to the victims of the invasion. Let us remember those killed, wounded, persecuted or imprisoned,” wrote Slovak President Zuzana Čaputová on social media. She added that even now Slovakia is facing “massive propaganda, the spreading of lies and hatred. We are subjected to efforts to divide us into hostile and non-communicating camps. However, we have our destiny in our own hands. We have the opportunity and the duty to act so that we do not experience the drama of August 1968 again. It is this message that today's Memorial Day reminds us of,” Čaputová wrote.
“The legacy of 1968 is still fully valid today, the fight for freedom, democracy and sovereignty never ends,” said Slovak Foreign Affairs Minister Ivan Korčok on the occasion of the 54th anniversary of the occupation.
The occupation of Czechoslovakia by Warsaw Pact troops stopped the reform process taking place in the country at that time, independent MPs working for the extra-parliamentary Voice-SD party stated on the occasion of the 54th anniversary of the occupation of Czechoslovakia by Warsaw Pact troops.
On the night of August 20-21, 1968 Warsaw Pact armies invaded the territory of Czechoslovakia. Five socialist countries took part in an operation codenamed 'Danube' - the Soviet Union, Hungary, Poland, Bulgaria and the German Democratic Republic, the last of which did not actually participate in the invasion. The main purpose of the operation was to suppress efforts to reform socialism in Czechoslovakia under the so-called Prague Spring. The number of victims connected with the invasion and presence of the soviet troops is estimated at over 400.
Source: TASR
