The invasion of Czechoslovakia by Warsaw Pact forces, predominantly Soviet troops, overnight on August 21, 1968, has much in common with what Russia is doing in Ukraine today.
Czech President Petr Pavel made the remarks in a speech outside the Czech Radio building (then Czechoslovak Radio), from where journalists reported to the world on what was actually happening in Prague. Several people were killed in the first hours of the invasion, and their memory is commemorated there every year, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.
“The 1968 invasion of Czechoslovakia has much in common with the invasion of Ukraine more than four years ago. Both societies were going through a period of hope for free development, and both wanted to free themselves from the excessive influence of the Soviet Union, or Russia. In both cases, Moscow violated international law in order to impose its sphere of influence by force. Both invasions were accompanied by deceptive rhetoric. Both were initially planned as blitz operations,” the head of state said, drawing parallels between events decades apart.
The Czech President emphasized that, unlike in Czechoslovakia, Russia encountered unexpectedly strong resistance from courageous defenders in Ukraine. While the Soviet Union temporarily achieved its objectives in a defeated Czechoslovakia, Russia today is no closer to achieving its goals in Ukraine than it was in February 2022, thanks to the steadfast solidarity of Western allies. All this, unfortunately, has come at the cost of hundreds of thousands of lives, the politician said.
