“The memorial is not a war grave”: Czechia responds to Russia's claims

The Czech Foreign Ministry has responded to Russia's diplomatic note concerning the monument to Soviet Marshal Ivan Konev. In its official response to the request for assistance in locating the dismantled statue, Czechia reminded Moscow that the monument is not a war grave and that it has no legal claim to it.

Russia sent a diplomatic note to the Czech side last week, requesting assistance in determining the location of Marshal Konev’s statue. Russian Ambassador to Prague, Alexander Zmeyevsky, also mentioned the request in an interview with the Russian newspaper Izvestia.

The dismantled statue of the Soviet marshal is stored at the Artex artworks depository in the village of Měšice, northeast of Prague—a fact easily traceable online.

The Museum of the Memory of the Twentieth Century is currently preparing an exhibition project that will present the statue to the public in Hradčany, within a broader historical context. According to the museum’s director, Pavel Blažek, the exhibition could open as early as next year.