Czech president says maximum efforts must be made to prevent the war from reaching the Czech Republic

Czech President Petr Pavel has expressed deep concern about the growing threat of the war spreading beyond Ukraine, including into the Czech Republic. He said this during commemorative events in the mountainous region of Šumava dedicated to the World War II fighting, where he honoured the memory of American soldiers who died in May 1945. This was reported by the Ceske Noviny publication.

The ceremonies were held in two villages - Zurzy and Gruberg, which were the site of the last battles before the surrender of Nazi Germany. In Zurzy there is a memorial in honour of ten fallen soldiers of the US 90th Infantry Division.

Paul recalled the events of May 5, 1945, and then continued on his motorbike to the village of Gruberg, where a memorial marker was recently unveiled in honour of the American soldiers and German cadets who died on May 6 fighting in the partisan struggle. Twenty-one Germans were killed in that battle and six Americans were wounded.

In his speech, the president emphasised that those who gave their lives for the freedom enjoyed by today's generation should not be forgotten. He noted that although these events were an episode in a great war, it was a huge tragedy for the families of the victims, especially considering that the end of the war was only days away.

Peter Paul drew attention to the parallels between history and modernity, noting that the current events in Ukraine recall painful pages of the European past. He called for every effort to ensure that the war ends and does not affect the Czech Republic.

During his speech in Gruberg, Pavel also recalled that the causes of World War II go back to the 1930s and called for lessons to be learnt from the past.