How an old statute in Prague has opened old wounds?
Ivan Konev may have been born a peasant, but he would rise to become the Soviet general and Marshall who led the Red Army on the Eastern front during WWII. Many people attribute the victory of the war, at least on this front, to Marshall Konev. He fought and won many battles against the Germans and he became the first allied commander to breach Czechoslovakia after the Slovak National Uprising and liberate it from German occupation. The Slovak Uprising was a powerful movement, one that Konev was more than happy to take advantage of.
Up to this point, he seemed to be on the right side of history. So, what has sparked the argument over his statue in Prague and how could this protest lead to a diplomatic incident that could topple not just a statue, but European relationships? Who really cares if Prague removes his statue anyhow?
Well, Russia does. In Russian history books, Konev was one of the biggest and most revered war heroes ever to have existed. He freed the world from the grip of the Third Reich and delivered these broken countries the best form of government the world has to offer: communism. In their eyes, removing the statue would be a desecration of his memory.
On the other side, you have the Czech Republic. Their recollection of history is slightly different. Konev may have liberated Czechoslovakia from Germany, but in turn, he delivered the Czech people into enslavement under a new master who was just as ruthless. Konev played a big part in the suppression of the Prague Spring in 1968. The people wanted freedom, but all they got in return was insurmountable violence. The statue is a cold, heavy reminder of that oppression. It is an exceptional thorn in the Czech Republic’s side, even after 2018 when Prague’s city administration added to the plaque on the statue the truth about Konev’s role in these suppressions. However, even publicly printing the truth hasn’t stopped the Czech people from defacing the statue on a regular basis.
It is important to highlight that this public protest isn’t about a statue, it isn’t about a man and it isn’t about the high fees the municipality has to pay to clean the statue on a daily basis. It’s about freedom, democracy and the power of the people. It is clear to me that this statue is a manifestation of Russia’s chokehold on the Czech Republic. The Red Army may no longer have boots on the ground, and the Wall may have come down years ago, but the Soviets still maintain control over the Czech Republic in some of the most important ways and the people know it.
