Komáromi és más áldozatok
Victims from Komárno and its neighbourhood

The Soviet Army in Komárno

Summary/Abstract: The paper analyses the history of the presence of the Soviet Army in Czechoslovakia in general, and at Fort Komárno in particular. It analyses how the Soviet Army (SA) settled in commencing form November 1968, and how it avoided to comply with the Czechoslovak legal system. It also sums up the tragic events that occurred in relation to ordinary Czechoslovak citizens and members of the SA, including shootings and road accidents. According to the current (2020) state of research by Czech and Slovak researchers such as Prokop Tomek, Ivo Pejčoch, Patrik Košický and others, the number of Czechoslovak civil fatalities can be set to 425 people, between August 21, 1968 and June 25, 1991 when the last Soviet soldier left the country. Fort Komárno is part of one of the biggest fortification systems in Central Europe. Due to its geographical position, situated on the River Danube and Váh, it used to have a rich military heritage. The troops of the Soviet Army stayed at the fort for 23 years. The estimated number of troops stationing at the fortress is set to 8000. The study also touches upon the historical memory of the presence of the Soviet Army at Fort Komárno which is surrounded by certain amnesia, which is not surprising if we consider the fact that the Czechoslovak public did not have a chance to get acquainted with the details of the Soviet military occupation, and especially not with all the harm that was caused by it, including individual and mass killings, robbery, rape, and environmental pollution.

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