Fifty seven years ago in April, 1968, President Alexander Dubček instigated reforms that would liberalize the Communist regime in Czechoslovakia. A series of reforms that granted greater freedom of expression to the press and public and supported fundamental human rights reforms that included an independent judiciary. During the Prague Spring, he and other reform-minded Communists enhanced popular support for the Communist government by eliminating its repressive features, allowing greater freedom of expression, and tolerating political and social organizations not under Communist control. "Dubček! Svoboda!"became the popular refrain of student demonstrations during this period. Just three months later half a million Warsaw Pact troops marched into Prague initiating what would become known as the 'Normalisation' of Czechoslovakia.
The situation in Ukraine reminds Czechs of the Soviet Response to the brief period of liberalisation they experienced in the spring of 1968. Czech support for the plight of Ukraine is still strong and anti-Russian sentiment is high.
Everyone seems to have such polarised opinions on the Russia Ukraine War. But it's worth taking the time to reflect on how we got to this point and that the majority of Russians and Ukrainians are decent people. Try to see both sides of the situation and make up your own mind, hear the evidence, study the history and decide for yourself. And always re-evaluate your opinion in the wake of fresh evidence.
I can whole heartedly recommend Tim Marshall's geopolitically themed book Prisoners of Geography for a non partisan and factual analysis of the Russia Ukrainian situation.