MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 09th April, 2020) The demolition of the monument to Marshal of the Soviet Union Ivan Konev in Prague can have a long-term negative effect on Russian-Czech relations and will not go unanswered by Moscow, the Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said on Thursday.
In September, the authorities of the Prague 6 district decided to remove it away from the city center and, possibly, transfer it to a private owner. The monument was demolished on April 3.
"What is perplexing is the helplessness of the central authorities who have proven to be simply unable to restrain the municipal officials and stop this mocking, which runs against the country's international obligations. What was done in Prague - which is a crime - can become a long-term irritant in our bilateral relations and will doubtless not remain unanswered," Maria Zakharova said at a briefing.
The monument to Konev was erected in Prague at the initiative of the city authorities in the late 1970s-early 1980s, with funds raised from local residents in gratitude for the fact that the commander ordered against using heavy artillery during the storm of the Nazi-occupied city in May 1945 and thereby saved Prague from full destruction.
In light of the demolition of the monument, the Russian Embassy has lodged a protest with the Czech Foreign Ministry. The Russian Civic Chamber's commission in charge of public diplomacy and humanitarian cooperation, in turn, pledged to appeal to the Council of Europe and UNESCO.
