Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) attended the ceremonial opening of the refurbished Red Army Central Military Cemetery in Michalovce (Kosice region) on Wednesday and, along with Russian Ambassador to Slovakia Sergey Andreev, state and public administration representatives, MPs, city officials and the public, he paid tribute to the fallen soldiers who liberated Slovakia during the Second World War.
In his address, Fico noted that the government has pledged, in its Manifesto, to pay attention to the restoration and maintenance of military cemeteries. He appreciated that the site is visited by local people and called for similar memorials to become a natural part of public life.
Michalovce Mayor Miroslav Dufinec pointed out that more than 17,000 Red Army soldiers of various nationalities are buried in the cemetery. He added that restoration work on mass graves, support walls, travertine surfaces, access roads and 193 tombstones with historical inscriptions was carried out with the financial support from the government and the Russian Embassy.
The Red Army Central Military Cemetery in Michalovce is included on the list of national cultural monuments and has been renovated in three phases since 2024, costing some €240,000 to date.
Source: TASR
