Prague 6 removes controversial statue of Soviet Marshal Konev

Prague 6 has decided to remove the statue of Marshal Ivan Konev located in its Bubeneč neighbourhood, the municipality's spokesman Ondřej Šrámek told the Czech News Agency.

It will be moved into storage and will eventually be placed within the planned Museum of the 20th Century, which Prague plans to open in the coming years. Last year the Council of Prague 6 voted to put a monument to the liberation of Prague from Nazi occupation in place of the Marshal Konev statue.

The statue has been the centre of a heated debate, including protests and international disputes between supporters of the Red Army's liberation of the Czech capital and those who are critical of Konev's repressive role within the Communist Eastern Bloc.

Its removal was described by Communist Party Chairman Vojtěch Filip as disgraceful. Meanwhile, President Miloš Zeman condemned the action and accused the local authorities of abusing the current coronavirus crisis state, according to a tweet by his spokesman Jiří Ovčáček.