“I am proud that the Czech Republic has supported Ukraine from the first minute and wants to protect its honour,” Pavel said at the National Memorial in Vítkov, recalling the indecision of world powers at the start of World War II. He also mentioned the millions of victims left by the conflict. “We owe our freedom and the life we ​​live to these people,” he said.

And he returned to Russian aggression against Ukraine. “The then generation of Soviet soldiers is not responsible for today’s Russia. Honoring the fallen should not fall victim to today’s enthusiastic Russian propagandists, such as the Night Wolves or their Czech supporters. Their activities have less to do with piety and more a disgrace to their memory gave their life,” said Pavel.

According to him, commemorating the Second World War has a painful paradox in it. “The country whose name was borne by the main forces participating in the liberation of Czechoslovakia, namely the First, Second and Fourth Ukrainian Corps, today itself became the object of aggression by one of the victorious powers of that time, Russia,” the head of state noted. According to him, the conflict in Ukraine resembles the scale and level of destruction of the battlefields of the Second World War.

The president added that although the conflict started by showing disrespect for the rights of national minorities and calling for territorial separation, there was pressure to surrender parts of the country in exchange for not starting a war.

Memorial events in Vítkov begin with a military parade. The honorary unit commander reports to the president. The head of state was the first to lay a wreath on the unknown soldier’s grave, after which the president and presidents of both chambers of parliament and the prime minister came to pay their respects. The Minister of Defence, the Chief of the General Staff, the Mayor of Prague and a Cardinal were also present. Veterans, representatives from veterans’ associations, and eagles also came. Those present observed a moment of silence in memory of the soldiers who gave their lives to defend their homeland. Dozens of people came to commemorate the historical event.