The "war on history" continues in Europe. The members of the Prague-6 district council decided to move the last among Prague monuments to Soviet commanders and politicians - Marshal Konev, who liberated the city in 1945. In its place, obviously, a new monument to the liberation of Prague, the "liberators", will be erected, without specifying which one. That is, it could be the Vlasovites, who supported the Prague uprising on May 5, 1945, and the Americans, who were advancing from the west.
Diplomatic scandal
Diplomats of the Czech Republic and Russia quarreled over the decision of the Prague-6 district council, which was adopted on September 12: to remove the monument to Marshal Konev, who liberated Prague from Nazi troops, from one of the central squares. The monument to Ivan Stepanovich Konev on the Prague square of the Interbrigade was erected in 1980, on the 35th anniversary of the liberation of the Czech capital by the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front. They want to move the monument, possibly to one of the museums, or transfer it to the Russian embassy, and put a monument to the liberators of Prague in the vacant space. And according to the information of the Czech President Milos Zeman, the local authorities want to build underground garages on the vacated site.
Meanwhile, this topic has been discussed in Prague and Moscow for several years already. In recent years, Soviet monuments (including the monument to the Marshal) and the graves of Soviet soldiers have been repeatedly vandalized. So, the monument to Konev was doused with paint in 2014 and 2017. The Russian Foreign Ministry regularly makes relevant statements. The current scandal around the monument began after the monument was again desecrated in August, on the anniversary of the entry of Soviet troops into Czechoslovakia in 1968. At first, the authorities of the Prague-6 district did not want to tidy up the monument, since significant budgetary funds have to be spent on cleaning and repairing. Then they said that since the citizens of Prague negatively perceive the image of Konev, then it should be transferred to the territory of the Russian embassy.
The Russian Foreign Ministry expressed outrage at the "cynical decision" of the municipal authorities of the Prague-6 district to move the monument to the Soviet marshal, under whose command the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front liberated Prague in May 1945. The Foreign Ministry also expressed regret that the local authorities did not pay attention to the calls of the Czech leadership and the public to prevent such an event. It is noted that this step would violate the provisions of the bilateral Treaty on Friendly Relations and Cooperation of August 26, 1993.
The Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation Vladimir Medinsky said that the monument to the Soviet commander was made by Czech sculptors for the money of the townspeople in gratitude for the fact that Konev forbade the use of bomber aircraft and large-caliber artillery during the liberation of Prague and other cities of Czechoslovakia (preserving the ancient cities), and "regional politicians" forgot what their grandfathers and great-grandfathers fought for. Liberating Prague, about 12 thousand Soviet soldiers were killed. Medinsky called the head of the Prague-6 district Ondřej Kolář "a local Gauleiter" because of the decision to move the monument. Sergei Tsekov, a member of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs, even suggested introducing economic sanctions against the Czech Republic because of this situation.
Russian Ambassador to Prague Alexander Zmeevsky was invited to the Czech Foreign Ministry and protested "against the untrue and offensive statements by a member of the Russian government against the head of the Prague-6 district." Deputy Minister for European Affairs of the Czech Foreign Ministry Aleš Khmelarzh noted that the Treaty on friendly relations and cooperation between Russia and the Czech Republic presupposes mutual respect and equality. In addition, the question of the monument to the Soviet commander is an internal Czech affair. Prague also warned against misusing history and fanning passions for political ends. The Russian Ambassador Zmeevsky himself, after a meeting with Khmelar, said that he rejected the claims of the Czech Foreign Ministry, which had previously withdrawn from this issue, which led to the decision of the Prague-6 council.
In the Czech Republic itself, there is no unity on this issue. So, the Czech President Milos Zeman said that the decision of the authorities of Prague-6 disgraces the country. Konev is a symbol of tens of thousands of Red Army soldiers who died liberating Czechoslovakia and Prague from Nazi troops. Deputy Prime Minister of the Czech Republic Jan Hamacek proposed to hold a referendum on the monument among the inhabitants of Prague and, in general, spoke in favor of preserving it in its former place. Czech communists also stood up to defend the Konev monument in Prague. The Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia opposed the relocation of the monument and asked the government to preserve the monument to the marshal at the Interbrigades Square in Prague-6.
Liberation of Prague and Vlasovites
It is worth noting that the myth prevails in the Czech public consciousness that Prague was liberated by the soldiers of the Russian Liberation Army (ROA) under the command of General Vlasov, and not by the Red Army. The version that the capital of Czechoslovakia was liberated not by Soviet troops, but by the Vlasovites, was created by Western propaganda during the Cold War. It was voiced by Western historians and the famous anti-Soviet and writer Alexander Solzhenitsyn. He referred to the Russian collaborators as the "true" liberators of Prague in the first volume of The Gulag Archipelago.
What really happened? In 1941-1944. it was generally calm in Czechoslovakia. Czechs worked in defense enterprises and strengthened the power of the Third Reich, and Slovaks even fought for Hitler. However, in the winter of 1944-1945. the situation on the borders of Czechoslovakia has changed dramatically. The Red Army, supported by the 1st Czechoslovak Army Corps and Slovak partisans, launched an offensive in southeastern Slovakia. An uprising began in Slovakia. New partisan detachments were formed, the old ones expanded. New groups, weapons and equipment were transferred from the territory controlled by the Red Army. The partisan movement also emerged in the Czech Republic. Here the main role belonged to the partisans who were transferred from Slovakia and the territory liberated by Soviet troops. In particular, a partisan brigade named after Jan Zizka broke through to Moravia with heavy fighting from Slovakia.
In January-February 1945, the troops of the 4th Ukrainian Front marched 175-225 km on the territory of Poland and Czechoslovakia, reached the upper course of the Vistula River and the Moravian-Ostrava industrial region. About 2 thousand settlements were liberated. The troops of the right wing of the 2nd Ukrainian Front advanced 40-100 km in Czechoslovakia, reaching the Hron River. On March 10, 1944, the troops of the 4th UV under the command of A. I. Eremenko began the Moravian-Left operation. The Germans had a powerful defense in this direction, which was facilitated by the conditions of the terrain. Therefore, the operation was delayed. Only on April 30, the city of Moravska Ostrava was liberated. In early May, the fighting continued for the complete liberation of the Moravian-Ostrava industrial region.
Meanwhile, the troops of the 2nd UV under the command of R. Ya. Malinovsky carried out the Bratislava-Brnovo operation. Our troops crossed the Hron River, broke through the enemy's defenses, and liberated Bratislava on April 4. Then the Red Army crossed Morava, and on April 26 liberated Brno, the second most important and largest city in Czechoslovakia. As a result, the Bratislava and Brno industrial areas were cleared of the Nazis.
Thus, the Soviet armies completely liberated Slovakia, most of Moravia, with stubborn battles they covered about 200 km. German troops suffered a series of heavy defeats, lost important industrial centers, military plants, sources of raw materials. The troops of the 4th and 2nd Ukrainian fronts took up advantageous positions for an offensive from the east and south against a large enemy grouping, which retreated into the western part of Czechoslovakia. At the same time, during the Berlin operation, the left wing of the 1st Ukrainian Front reached the foothills of the Sudetenland. Soviet troops occupied Cottbus, Spremberg, and reached the Elbe in the Torgau region. That is, the foundations were laid for an offensive in the Prague direction from the north and northwest. American troops reached the western border of Czechoslovakia.
Prague uprising
The defeat of Nazi Germany and the withdrawal of Allied troops to the distant approaches to Prague caused an intensification of the local Resistance movement. It was decided to hold a high-profile action in the capital. Both the West-oriented national democratic forces and the Czech communists were interested in the uprising. Nationalists and democrats hoped to liberate Prague on their own, to create a base for the return of the Czechoslovak government in exile. They hoped for the support of the American army, which at the beginning of May 1945 was 80 km from Prague. The Czech communists wanted to prevent rivals from seizing power from taking dominant positions in the capital at the time of the appearance of the Red Army.
In early May 1945, the first unrest began. The Germans in Prague did not have a powerful garrison, so they could not fundamentally suppress the uprising. On May 5, a general uprising began, with the large factories of the city becoming its core. The rebels seized critical facilities, including the main train stations and most of the bridges over the Vltava. During this period, the rebels entered into negotiations with the ROA, with the commander of the 1st division, General S. Bunyachenko. Russian collaborators went west to surrender to the Americans. However, there were doubts whether the Americans would hand them over to the Red Army. It was necessary to prove to the West that the ROA was fighting not only with the USSR, but also with the Third Reich, its usefulness. Bunyachenko and other commanders asked the Czechs to grant them political asylum. In exchange, they promised military support. Vlasov himself did not believe in this adventure, but he did not interfere. The Vlasovites helped the insurgents in Prague in the battles of May 5-6, but in the end they received no guarantees. In addition, it became known that the Americans would not come to Prague. On the night of May 8, the ROA troops left their positions and began to leave the city. Moreover, they left the city to the west together with the Germans, with whom they had just fought.
For the German command, Prague was of great importance. It was the center of the roads along which Army Group Center's forces retreated westward to surrender to the Americans. Therefore, Field Marshal Scherner threw considerable forces to storm Prague. The Wehrmacht attacked Prague from the north, east and south. At the same time, the German troops, which were still held in the city itself, became more active. The rebels were doomed to defeat. The Czech National Council on the radio made a desperate request for help from the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition. At that time, the Americans were about 70 km from the Czech capital and did not intend to go further, since there was an agreement with Moscow that the city should be occupied by the Russians.
The Soviet high command decided to provide assistance to the rebels. On May 6, 1945, the strike grouping of the 1st Ukrainian Front under the command of Konev turned to Prague. Also in the Prague direction, the troops of the 2nd and 4th UV began to attack. On the night of May 9, the 3rd and 4th Guards Tank Armies of the 1st UV made a swift 80-kilometer march and on the morning of May 9 broke into the capital of Czechoslovakia. On the same day, the advanced units of the 2nd and 4th UV reached Prague. The city was cleared of the Nazis. The main forces of the German group were surrounded in the area east of Prague. On May 10-11, the Germans surrendered. Czechoslovakia was liberated, and Soviet troops came into contact with the Americans.
Thus, the decision of the municipal authorities to move the monument to Konev is another act of the information war of the West against Russia, rewriting the history of World War II and history in general. The current position of official Moscow with its "indignation" and "regrets" cannot change anything. In the West, as in the East, only the strong are respected. The USSR was respected in the world, but the Russian Federation was not. This is also connected with the policy of the Kremlin itself, where they insult the Soviet past, keep it silent, denigrate the name of Stalin, then they try to rely on the Great Victory in fostering patriotism. In Russia itself, there is a constant attempt to "rewrite" history, to turn Kolchak, Denikin, Mannerheim, Krasnov and Vlasov into heroes, to remove the memory of Lenin and Stalin, Soviet civilization. The mausoleum is shyly covered with plywood and rags during the Victory Parade. It is not surprising that in the West, in Europe, we are constantly mixed with dirt. In the Russian Federation, there is no imperial ideology, social justice and respect for the memory of the Red Empire, only the ideology of the "golden calf" and Western liberalism. With such an attitude to its own past, nothing good should be expected from Europe.
