Pater Sergej Magid

“During the training they told us the most horrible lie - that we were going to save the Czechoslovak nation from a German invasion. That the Bundesrepublik has already sent its tanks, which were proceeding to Pilsen. That was really a shocking thing to hear. First, we had no means to verify this. When I came to the fire brigade station there were no newspapers apart from those with the same information. But I knew it was a lie. But even I, who hated communists, was very disturbed by the thought of German tanks in Czechoslovakia. And you can imagine what the others might have thought, no matter if they believed it or not or if they understood it or not. They told us that we were going to liberate Czechoslovakia. Not to attack, conquer or occupy the country; that we were the brave knights sent to save the poor people. That was the tragedy of Soviet soldiers during the occupation, including me and my friends.”

“We flew over the border during the night. I repeat that most of us believed that we were flying to northern Kazakhstan for military operations. We landed and got out of the planes at some airport. Later we found out it was the Ruzyně airport. The old Ruzyně, not the one we have today. It was a dark night and the lights were off. We could see only the headlights of trucks and tanks and the torch lights between them. It all looked like a scene from an American sci-fi film. We really had no idea where we were. There were only Russians at the airport, no Czechs. I was a radio operator so they put me in a tank. The vehicles left the airport and it wasn't until four o’clock in the morning that we were allowed to open the lid and look out. I looked around and I saw an apple tree orchard. It was clear that we weren’t in Kazakhstan. I thought it was Ukraine or some other country. There was a sign in the orchard which said ‘Attention, train!’”

“About ten percent of us were sure that we were flying to Czechoslovakia and that we would finally have the chance to hear the Beatles, who were prohibited in the Soviet Union. Czechoslovakia was a western country and we thought that we could get American cigarettes, meet some Czech girls and that everything would be all right. We thought that everybody would see that we also like democracy and hate Brezhnev because he was a moron. Ninety percent didn’t really understand what was going on... maybe eighty-five percent. And about five or three percent, really thought that the Czechs were traitors and so on. Everybody laughed at them but they were real fanatics.”

“I do deeply respect people who resisted the occupation of 1968. But now I’m 59 years old and I have to say that it was childish. Didn’t they think about it? What could they have expected from Brezhnev? What could they have expected from a beastly regime like the Soviet Union? That it will let them be? But if they really believed that, they were stupid. And if they didn’t believe that, why didn’t they fight? Were they afraid? Of course, I don’t think that the Czechs are a nation of idiots or cowards. But it is a mistake that the nation keeps making – this peacefulness. They thought that it would turn out good with Hitler, they thought it would end good with Stalin and they thought the same with Brezhnev. So that was another historic example of the Czech mentality in action.”