Czechs marking 56th anniversary of Soviet-led invasion

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.