On 21 June 1991, the last transport carrying Soviet troops crossed Czechoslovakia’s eastern border, bringing an end to the 23-year military presence that followed the Warsaw Pact invasion of August 1968. Today, we look back on the events that shaped an entire generation with historian Peter Jašek from the Nation’s Memory Institute (ÚPN). Together, we trace the story from the invasion and subsequent occupation to the withdrawal of Soviet forces in the wake of the Velvet Revolution.
Drawing on archival recordings, we also revisit the memories of key figures from the period, including then-president Václav Havel; Michael Kocáb, who served as deputy chairman of the parliamentary commission overseeing the withdrawal of the Central Group of Soviet Forces from Czecho-Slovakia; and retired Major General Svetozár Naďovič, who headed the office responsible for organizing the withdrawal and supervised the entire logistical operation.
WEB_Troops Withdrawal_260622 Máte problém s prehrávaním? Nahláste nám chybu v prehrávači.
Note: The programme marking the 35th anniversary of the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Czechoslovakia also featured recordings from the archives of Slovak Radio, Czechoslovak Film Weekly newsreels, and reports from the BBC and ABC News.
