Konev of discord

In recent weeks, the Prague monument to the Soviet Marshal Ivan Konev, located in Prague-6-one of the administrative regions of the capital of the Czech Republic, was in the spotlight several times. At the end of November, a demonstration organized by the Communist Party of the Czech Republic was held here against the plans of the district administration to partially change the appearance of the monument. About 150 people gathered at the protest rally, including the granddaughter of Marshal Anna and Elena. Following this, unknown people applied two dates with red paint on the pedestal: 1956 and 1968.

These events are connected with the plans of the district administration during the reconstruction of the monument to remove the plate placed here, reminiscent of “saving Prague from destruction thanks to the forces of the 1st Ukrainian front, which Konev commanded during the Second World War,” and replace it with a tablet with a historical certificate of the role of Marshal in the Hungarian uprising of 1956 and on the eve of the input of the Warsaw Treaty in Chekoslovaki In 1968. Against this, among others, also opposed the Russian Embassy in the Czech Republic.

Commenting, commenting on the plans of the Prague 6 administration 6 to place an explanatory sign at the monument to Marshala, wrote on the Facebook diplomatic page that "with the advent of the Red Army at the final stage of the Second World War, the German occupation that lasted since 1939 under the command of the 1st Ukrainian Front under the command of the marshall ceased in the territory of the Czech Republic. I.S. Koneva was released by the infamous Nazi death factory Auschwitz, and in the Czech Republic - the concentration camp Terezin and the long -suffering leader. I.S. Konev of the titles of the hero of Czechoslovakia and honorary citizen of Prague. "

The discussion of what to do with the Prague monument to Marshal has been going on for several years. In 2010, it was planned to transfer it deep into the square on which it is located to free up the place for other sculptures: they wanted to break the park of statues here. And two years ago, a decision on the demolition of the monument was made to vote in the municipal council. Then the residents of several areas of Prague who signed the petition advocated its preservation.

At the same time, the monument has repeatedly become a place of discontent not only to the policy of the USSR in relation to Czechoslovakia, but also to the current policy of Russia: after the annexation of Crimea and the outbreak of the war in the Donbass in the pedestal, they wrote with white paint "Hale, Putin?"

The monument to Konev was erected in Prague on May 9, 1980, its authors are the Czechoslovak sculptors Zdenek Crypts and the Vratislav Ruzhichka.

According to the head of the district administration of Prague-6 Ondrzhei Kolarzha , the current decision to place new tablets takes into account the results of perennial discussions.

- At what stage are negotiations with the Russian Embassy in the Czech Republic on the placement of new tablets on the monument to Marshal Konev now? After all, the embassy has repeatedly opposed these plans, and the Prague 6 administration brought arguments in favor of this decision.

Our goal is to replace a lie by truth

- I think it is worth saying that this dispute began in 1992, when the district administration first proposed placing a sign with additional information about the marshal next to the monument. Nevertheless, then they did not take any specific actions. In 2009, the time came to reconstruct the area of interbride, on which the monument is located. According to the proposed architectural decision, the construction of underground garages was supposed to be entered in the place where the monument was located, and these plans were discussed with the Russian embassy. Then we consented that the monument be moved deep into the area and that the space around it is reduced (now the statue will be based on an extensive basis).

But these plans were not destined to be realized. In 2015, the active group of citizens began to demand from the Prague-6 administration to completely remove the monument. But we do not want to make such a cardinal decision and proposed to install a signs next to the monument, giving a more complete picture of the life of the marshal. It would be said that he not only freed Prague, but also helped to occupy her. It seems to me that this is what caused the continuing dispute with the embassy.

- And who are these activists you mentioned, calling to remove the monument to Konev?

-These are several people, members of the association called a “conservative club”-mainly former politicians who previously included in the club of non-partisan civilian democratic alliance, some of the previously were members of the Top 09 party. Many of them are already inactive in politics, but they are trying to express their point of view on certain topics.

- What is written on the plate next to the monument and the sign with what text is it planned to replace this inscription?

This plate on the basis of the monument is planned to be replaced by three new

- Now there is a sign on which it is written that Marshal Konev was a famous Soviet commander in chief, and this, of course, is disputed. But the next sentence says that he saved Prague from destruction. This is not true, because when Marshal Konev and his divisions arrived at the end of World War II, namely, on May 9, 1945, only a few SS detachments remained from Dresden to Prague. At that time, all the Wehrmacht divisions left the city, because the day before, on May 8, an unconditional surrender with the command of the Prague uprising was signed. It turns out that in Prague-6 there is a monument on which a lie is written.

Our goal is to replace this lie in truth. Therefore, we want to place new signs there, there will be three of them: one in Czech, the second - in Russian and the third in English. There will be the same text on everyone. It will be written there that Marshal Konev commanded the Ukrainian front, which freed most of the Central and Eastern Europe, he took part in the final battle for Berlin, helped the liberation of Prague, but subsequently commanded the units that suppressed the Hungarian uprising in 1956, led the preparation of the construction of the Berlin Wall, and also engaged in the preparation of the Czechoslovak intelligence agencies on the eve of the day Input of the troops of the Warsaw Treaty in 1968.

- What specifically caused dissatisfaction with representatives of the Russian Embassy in Prague?

-I think that the reason was that in the fall of this year I sent a letter to the current ambassador of Russia in the Czech Republic, in which I informed that Prague-6 still intends to establish new signs on the monument, but instead of an official response, a wave of discontent rose, which began with the fact that the deputy from the Communist Party, which was not re-elected into the current parliament, accused me, that I want to rewrite history, even that I want to rewrite history, even that I want to rewrite the history. I'm trying to manipulate historical facts. I tried to protect myself publicly, and the campaign against me gained momentum. Her climax was a demonstration of the Communists and their various supporters at the statue of Marshal Konev, on which in a circle it was repeated that I and Prague-6 want to somehow manipulate history and public opinion and place false statements on the monument.

The Russian side previously said that I would not want us to place anything on the monument that would not be approved by it. We replied to this that the monument is on the balance of Prague and, accordingly, our administration, which is responsible for it: we finance the repair of this monument, care for it, and our only goal is to people who go past this monument and often do not even know who Marshal Konev was, because the history of the 20th century is not very detailed in Czech schools, to give at least a compressed historical information, both of Negative.

- From your words we can conclude that the demonstration of the Communists at the monument began at the direction from the embassy, or, in your opinion, do they act on their own initiative?

- I think that they, of course, do not act on their own. This is evidenced, for example, the fact that the deputy from the Communists, about whom I spoke, had in my hands an official correspondence between me and the ambassador. I think this is unacceptable. I went to this demonstration, even asked the organizers to give me the opportunity to speak. I was refused. Moreover, I saw several Russian -speaking people at this demonstration, so it seems to me that the coordination of the actions of the Communist Party and the Russian Embassy in Prague is quite obvious.

-The Russian embassy refers in this dispute to a bilateral agreement on military burials: does it have to do with this monument and should the Prague-6 administration, making decisions, simultaneously take into account this document?

The reaction to my letter was a propaganda campaign

- The Russian embassy has the right to refer to any documents, but this agreement concluded between the Czech Republic and the Russian Federation concerns the care of military burials, it is not related to this monument, because we are not talking about military burial or the monument to the fallen in World War II. He was erected in 1982 at the peak of a policy of normalization in Czechoslovakia, and everyone knows that during this period the role and significance of the Prague uprising was given special attention. At the same time, it is not the role of the direct participation of Prazhan and those who helped them, but the roles of the Red Army and the fraternal relations of this army with the Czechoslovak People's Army.

-How does the Prague-6 administration intend to finish this dispute, is the date of installation of new tablets is planned, or is it planned to abandon this idea?

- So far, only a preliminary date has been determined, because the municipal deputies made a decision on the monument to Konev only last month. We plan on May 10 - after the memory shares are completed on the occasion of the next anniversary of the end of World War II - to begin the overhaul of the monument. We are talking about a rather extensive space, since the statue itself and its base are 245 square meters. Many basalt slabs with which the base is faced, already burst, they need to be replaced. The monument is generally now in poor condition, so 600 thousand kroons (approximately 28 thousand dollars. - RS) were allocated to update it, which will also be spent on cleaning the bronze from which the statue of Konev is made. During these works, they will remove the old sign and replace it with three new ones. This will take a total of a month, and already in June 2018 the monument will be completed.

- Have you already informed the Russian side about your plans? What was the reaction?

- No, we have not yet discussed the date of start of work with the embassy. You see, when I am sending a Russian ambassador to the Russian ambassador, and the only reaction to this letter is the propaganda campaign that ends with a demonstration, while the embassy does not even respond to my message as it is accepted by a letter, I don’t know why I should inform the embassy about what will happen ... Of course, we are going to somehow report our plans, but there is much more time. Please note that the repair of the monument will begin in six months, there is no reason to rush. In addition, we still do not know which company will take up this work, a tender will be carried out in the next two months, so we are going to send information to the embassy after the preparatory work is completed.