It reported that hundreds of Prague residents are urging the city administration to remove the statue, while many others insist that the monument should stay, warning against attempts to desecrate their country's history.
Supporters of the monument's demolition, for their part, argue that Nazi troops had allegedly signed an act of surrender before Red Army units under Konev's command entered Prague. Some supporters also point to Konev's alleged role in later mapping out a plan for the occupation of then-Czechoslovakia in 1968.
Another option is not to remove the monument, but change the plaque on the statue, an idea which has the support of Petra Kolínská, deputy head of the Prague 6 District administration.
"This is a man who, undoubtedly, has become part of the history of our country. He played a positive role in 1945 and negative — in 1968. This is why a relevant explanatory plaque for the monument is needed so that present and future generations can know the whole context of the story," Kolínská said, according to Radio Prague.
Many Czech WWII veterans are, however, skeptical over the idea, saying that no changes are needed, and that Marshal Konev should only be mentioned in the context of Czechoslovakia's liberation by the Soviet army in May 1945.
The monument to Konev was erected in the Prague 6 district in 1980. In November 2014, the statue was vandalized with pink paint, which was later removed.
