On Monday, Czech politicians and members of the Sokol organisation gathered at the Red Army memorial at Prague’s Olšany Cemetery to commemorate the end of the Second World War and the liberation of Czechoslovakia. Ukraine was also represented by its chargé d’affaires to Czechia, Vitaliy Usaty, who noted that there are many Ukrainian soldiers among the Red Army combatants buried at the cemetery.
Speaker Miloš Vystrčil and Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský both drew parallels between the Munich Agreement of 1938 and the contemporary situation, stressing that concessions must not be made to an aggressor. Mr Lipavský also noted that Vladimir Putin’s Russia is claiming the victory over Nazi Germany as its own and thus justifying its own aggressive imperial policies.
The event was a powerful reminder of the importance of standing up to aggression and of the need to remember the sacrifices made by those who fought for freedom.