sample images by stefan tyszko / 38prague russian invasion of prague 3/5/02

Troops and prostitutes in the park.
This picture shows a Czech prostitute with Soviet soldiers in their camp at a Prague park. There was little initial resistance to the Soviet invasion, when troops moved in at around 11pm on 20 August. Slowly, street names began to be covered up in an attempt by citizens to make navigation difficult, but the Czech army stayed resolutely inactive. Dubcek was arrested and the Kremlin attempted to install a puppet leadership, but Dubcek was even more of a hero in his brief captivity, and a conciliatory tone entered negotiations. Dubcek was allowed to return to power on condition that he annul his previous liberating reforms. Barely a year later, though, he was out of power and assumed a role as ambassador to Turkey. A year after that, his party membership was taken away and he was sent to fix chainsaws for the state forestry commission.