On January 9, 1991, Krakow city council took a decision to remove the statue of Ivan Konev, a Soviet marshal honored by the Soviets for his contribution to the victory in World War II. Later the statue was transferred to Russia and erected in Kirov, administrative center of Kirov Oblast.
On April 3, 2020, Czech municipality removed the statue of Ivan Konev attempting to replace it by a Prague Liberation Memorial. The statue was set in Prague on the 9th(!) of May, 1980, and remained in place for almost 40 years. The decision to replace it was adopted in previous year after the statue of commander was raided several times. It should be mentioned that Konev was ambiguous figure in the history of Czech Republic. In 1968 he was in charge of Moscow military delegation that was sent to explore military environment in former Czechoslovakia before joint armed forces of Warsaw Pact invaded Prague. Ivan Konev participated in suppression of Hungarian Revolution in 1956. As a result of military operations, more than 2500 civilians were killed. Finally, marshal was involved in building of notorious Berlin Wall in 1961. Now Czech authorities intend to remove the statue of Ivan Konev to a Museum of the 20th Century Memory.
The decision has become a trigger for anxious lunge of Russians towards Prague municipality. At the same day Russian embassy in Czech Republic commented the replacement of the statue as an act of vandalism, provocation, war against monuments; Czech authorities were blamed for hostility towards Russian Federation, and…a question rises – why Russian officials are so much concerned over the statue that is a property of foreign country?
This May Russia would have commemorated the 75th anniversary of Soviet victory in Great Patriotic War (the Second World War for Europeans). Each year Russian troops and lines of military vehicles march on the Red Square, demonstrating Russian citizens and foreign guests military power that had faded into oblivion with the Soviet Union that no more exists. The idea of the parade – actually, the main annual event in Russia – is to let the memory about the past live in people’ minds as long as possible, distracting attention from other matters.
The strategy implies militarization and focusing on famous figures of the Soviet period who contributed to the strengthening the totalitarian regime or on those whose actions could have been interpreted in advantageous for the Soviet Union way.
Dictatorship, censorship, suppression, subordination, repressions – well known experience for nations that once have freed from the Soviet control. The Soviet heritage is a part of narrative of modern Russia, a part of its national identity. In some sense, a myth aimed to appeal to the common past, while omitting infamous facts. The replacement of monuments symbolizing Soviet power, including statues of former leaders, by other nations is perceived by Russian authorities as an attempt on Russian superiority (i.e. its “desecration”).
Since the end of the 20th century Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, and Poland have being removing objects representing Soviet ideology, providing legislative reforms on decommunization. The same process was launched in Ukraine after the revolution in 2014 took place. These countries once were under the Soviet rule, and after it collapsed, new, independent, states began to shape their own national narratives apart from Russian intrusion.
On April 10, after Prague municipal authorities removed Konev, Russia has opened a criminal case over the public desecration of symbols of Russian military glory (sic!). Russian internet editions posted a number of articles fiercely criticizing the mayor Zdeněk Hřib and mayor of Prague 6 municipal district Ondřej Kolář, who initiated the replacement. “Dark day in Prague” (Russia Today), “Marshal with a loop around the neck” (Evening Moscow), “Let’s bring Marshal home!”(Arguments and facts), “Heroes of fascist labour”, “Who Czechs looped around the neck” (ZVEZDA), “Czechs are scared of Russian revenge for Marshal Konev” (Vzglyad, Russian local internet-edition) – the internal affairs of Czech Republic got much “attention” of Russian mass media and its state establishments. Recently the Respekt magazine, followed by The Guardian, unveiled that Hřib and Kolář were placed under police protection amid the danger of being assassinated by a person that arrived in Czechia three weeks ago carrying Russian diplomatic documents.
Is that all about the disrespect for cultural heritage? Hardly anyone believes. The truth of the matter is that Russia attempts to extend and strengthen its influence in Europe and beyond through propaganda, military involvement and –last but not least – meddling national narratives.
