Soviet marshal Konev’s statue covered with red-stained sheet in protest

A newly erected statue of Soviet marshal Ivan Konev in eastern Slovakia has been covered with a white sheet bearing red stains, in a protest claimed by the opposition Democrats party.

The monument was also wrapped in rope and chains, with two banners placed beside it.

“We remember history, we do not celebrate occupiers,” reads one of them.

“A free society does not erect monuments to those who took away freedom,” says the other.

The statue stands in the Valley of Death (Údolie smrti), a Second World War battlefield near the village of Kružlová in the Svidník district. The area saw heavy fighting between Soviet and German forces in 1944.

A controversial military legacy

The monument was unveiled on 3 October, following commemorations of the 82nd anniversary of the Carpathian-Dukla Operation, a major Soviet-led military offensive against Nazi German forces in the autumn of 1944.

Agriculture Minister Richard Takáč (Smer) attended the ceremony, alongside ambassadors from Russia, Belarus, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan.

The statue attracted criticism on social media almost immediately after its unveiling.

Konev commanded Soviet forces during the Second World War and played a major role in the defeat of Nazi Germany. However, his post-war record remains controversial. As commander-in-chief of Warsaw Pact forces, he directed the Soviet military operation that crushed the Hungarian uprising against communist rule in 1956.