“Russia is not the initiator of the conflict that arose in connection with the actions of the Prague-6 municipal authorities regarding the transfer of the monument to Marshal Konev. Our country is taking steps to resolve the situation and invites the Czech authorities to meet by transferring the monument to the famous Soviet commander in Russia. We never interfere in the internal affairs of sovereign countries and do not consider the proposal to transfer the monument to the territory of our country as interference. This issue is of great importance for us in terms of preserving the historical truth and respect for the memory of heroic ancestors. ” This was stated by a member of the State Duma Committee on Foreign Affairs Sergey Zheleznyak, commenting on the statement of the Czech Foreign Minister.
He emphasized: “The position of the Czech side and their politicization of the issue regarding the monument to Marshal Konev on the eve of the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Great Victory over fascism is deeply disappointing. The Czech people cannot erase the pages of history when the Army under the command of Marshal Ivan Stepanovich Konev during the Prague operation saved the city from destruction and liberated the inhabitants from the Nazis. ”
“In Russia, they are sensitive to the memory of every liberator of the world from fascism – from an ordinary to a marshal. All monuments to soldiers-liberators are a place of worship for Russians. A new generation of Russians is brought up on the examples of courage and heroism of our illustrious ancestors and defenders of the Fatherland. I am convinced that the monument to the military leader should be moved and installed in a worthy place in the homeland of the illustrious commander, and not gather dust in a museum warehouse in the Czech Republic. We hope that the Czech side will take adequate retaliatory steps and the unpleasant incident will be exhausted, ”the politician said.