On August 21, 2026, commemorative events were held in several places in Slovakia, dedicated to the 58th anniversary of the invasion of Czechoslovakia by the USSR army and armies of other Warsaw Pact countries. One of such events was held in Nitra, organized by the civic initiative Občianska Nitra (Civic Nitra) and the city of Nitra.
The event was attended by the president of IVO Grigorij Mesežnikov, together with the mayor of the city Marek Hattas, a representative of Civic Nitra, university pedagogue and psychologist Andrea Juhásová, and musician and singer Matúš Budinský. The event was moderated by Timotej Lauko from the civic association Občianske spoločenstvo (Civic Community) (for more about the event see the report in MY Regions Sme).
The speakers pointed out the circumstances of the military invasion in August 1968 and the consequences of the more than 20-year occupation of Czechoslovakia. They spoke about the legacy of August 21, 1968 and the current contexts, especially Russian aggression against Ukraine and support of Ukraine in its struggle for freedom and independence. According to the speakers, the main lesson of the Soviet invasion is the realization that the fate of a country and its people stands and falls on the social order in which they live and the international alliance in which their homeland finds itself.
The Czechoslovak year of 1968 clearly showed that in a union of unfree states, led by an aggressive superpower that dictates and militarily enforces its will on all others regardless of their views and interests, things cannot turn out differently than they did in August 1968. Guarantees of true sovereignty and a safe life for people can only be ensured in a community of democratic states, thanks to membership in the EU and NATO. It is impossible to leave the decision-making about the fate of a democratic and free country to an external dictator and his local agency. Freedom, true sovereignty, the rule of law and democracy must be defended together with our democratic allies who share with us similar values.
