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Czechs are marking the 56th anniversary of the invasion of Czechoslovakia by Soviet-led Warsaw Pact troops on August 21, 1968. Commemorative ceremonies, film screenings, lectures and debates are taking place in Prague, Liberec, Brno and other cities.

A traditional memorial ceremony was held at the Czech Radio building on Prague’s Vinohradská St., which was the site of some of the most intense violence at the start of what became an occupation lasting over two decades.

The third edition of the NeverMore 68 festival at the Prague Exhibition Grounds has organized a series of events highlighting the role of women in dissent. The anniversary of the invasion will also be commemorated by the unveiling of a bronze monument by sculptor Jiří Sozanský on the embankment by the Kampa Museum, with guitarist Michal Pavlíček accompanying the event.

On the eve of the anniversary on Tuesday night, several hundred people gathered outside the Russian Embassy in Prague holding lit sparklers to send a symbolic silent message of protest to the employees of the fenced-off complex and the Putin regime. The gathering was addressed by two former dissidents who stressed the importance of continued support for Ukraine.

Doctors report a rise in venereal diseases such as gonorrhea, syphilis and HIV. According to data from the National Institute of Health, the number of syphilis cases has increased almost fivefold since 1990 and the increase in HIV positive cases looks set to be the highest in 30 years. In the first half of this year, doctors registered 149 HIV positive cases, compared to 253 in the whole of last year. According to data from Motol hospital, the largest hospital in Czechia, there is an increase of 20 to 25 percent in the basic STDs in the summer months.

The majority of Czechs support a gradual closure of coal-fired power plants, with almost 60 percent of people considering ten years or more to be a reasonable time horizon for moving away from coal, according to the results of a STEM/MARK survey. On the other hand, 30 percent of people have a negative perception of coal as an energy source. The government envisages a shift away from coal-fired plants after 2030. Over 80 percent of respondents said that the Czech Republic should remain self-sufficient in energy production. Purchasing electricity from abroad is seen as financially demanding by 75 percent of respondents, and about 70 percent fear that it could weaken the competitiveness of the Czech economy.

President Petr Pavel and the First Lady on Tuesday met with close to a hundred representatives of Czech start-ups and innovative companies at Lány Chateau. The president said after the meeting that support for such companies in the Czech Republic is not as well established as in other countries. He said it was important to have greater faith in innovative companies and offer them more support in order for Czechia to “play the first league” as it used to.