The Long Goodbye: Ending 23 Years of Occupation. (22.6.2026 16:00)

On 21 June 1991, the last transport carrying Soviet troops crossed Czechoslovakia's eastern border, bringing to an end the 23-year military presence that followed the Warsaw Pact invasion of August 1968. Today, we look back on the events that shaped an entire generation with historian Peter Jašek from the National Memory Institute (ÚPN). Together, we trace the story from the invasion and subsequent occupation to the withdrawal of Soviet forces in the wake of the Velvet Revolution. Drawing on archival recordings, we also revisit the memories of key figures from the period, including Michael Kocáb, who served as deputy chairman of the parliamentary commission overseeing the withdrawal of the Central Group of Soviet Forces from Czechoslovakia.