Russia launches criminal case over destruction of Red Army statue in Czechia

Russia’s Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case over the recent destruction of a Red Army soldier statue in Teplice, northwest Czechia. The Soviet-era monument, erected in 1955 in a local park as part of a memorial site, was torn down overnight on Wednesday by unknown perpetrators. Teplice officials have condemned the act. Committee head Alexander Bastrykin has ordered investigators to establish the full circumstances of the incident in cooperation with the Russian Foreign Ministry. The move comes as Russia marks the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany—a celebration largely boycotted by Western leaders due to the ongoing war in Ukraine.