Czechs mark 47th anniversary of 1968 invasion

Czechs are marking the 47th anniversary of the 1968 invasion of Czechoslovakia by Soviet-led Warsaw Pact troops. Speaking at a commemorative ceremony outside the Czech Radio building, Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka said the lessons of the past remain pertinent to the present day. He drew a parallel between the 1968 invasion and Russia’s invasion of Crimea and its policy in Eastern Ukraine.

Numerous other events are taking place to mark the anniversary, including a concert on Prague’s Wenceslas Square and an exhibition of photos capturing the events of 1968. Over 100 Czechs and Slovaks were killed in the invasion, when an estimated 500,000 soldiers invaded the country in the early hours of August 21 1968 in order to supress the Prague Spring reform movement.

Author: Ruth Fraňková