"In Slovakia, the memory of Soviet soldiers is preserved very carefully"

They intend to hold an action "Immortal Regiment" in Slovakia this year, Natalia Balanova, a member of the Coordinating Council of Russian Compatriots in this country, told Izvestia in an interview. There are about 200 monuments to Soviet soldiers in the republic, all of them are maintained in good condition. There are isolated cases of vandalism, which are followed by a harsh reaction from the authorities and the Slovak society. The younger generation of Slovaks no longer knows the history of the Second World War so well, because school does not pay enough attention to this, Balanova noted. Natalia Balanova talks about plans to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Victory in Slovakia and educate the younger generation in an exclusive interview with Izvestia.

"There are about 200 graves of Soviet soldiers in Slovakia now"

— April 4 marks the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Bratislava from the Nazi invaders. How is the historical memory of the liberation operation of the Red Army preserved in Slovakia today?

— This is indeed a very significant date for both Slovaks and us. The Bratislava-Brno operation, during which Bratislava was liberated, was conducted by the 2nd Ukrainian Front under the command of Marshal of the Soviet Union Rodion Malinovsky. Therefore, on this day we definitely come to the Slavin memorial complex and together with the Slovaks we remember all those who fell for the liberation of both Bratislava and the whole country. The Germans had prepared the city very well for defense, so there were heavy battles here. But, despite everything, Marshal Malinovsky gave the order in no case to bombard the city with heavy guns in order to preserve it.

— According to your information, what is the current state of the monuments to Soviet soldiers who liberated Slovakia?

— There are about 200 graves of Soviet soldiers in Slovakia now. These are large complexes, single graves, and small monuments. They are located throughout Slovakia, both in large cities and in small towns. And here this memory is very carefully preserved. The monuments are in good condition. They are being taken care of.

There is also government support for this. And the Slovaks themselves honor the memory of our soldiers. Many activists just take care of some graves, for example. Military history clubs and members of the Slovak Anti-Fascist Union also volunteer to take care of the monuments.

The state policy regarding monuments here has always been very firm: they are not allowed to be demolished or moved under any pretext, as it happens in certain countries. And, of course, funds are being allocated for the monuments to be updated and repaired.

— Were there any cases of desecration of monuments to Soviet soldiers and how did the state and society react to this?

— There are rare acts of vandalism in Slovakia. In February, the Victory Memorial in the village of Dargov was desecrated. Fierce fighting took place there, and about 4-5 thousand Soviet soldiers died.

People were outraged by this act, they went there to restore order, to speak out against the manifestations of vandalism. Interior Minister Matusz Shutay-Esztok strongly condemned the act and called it "a direct provocation directed against our history, our heroes and values." We fully rely on the Government of the Slovak Republic to sort things out and put things in order.

"Slovaks cherish the memory of the Second World War"

— How does your organization work to preserve historical memory in Slovakia?

— Of course, we take care of the monuments. This is a story about our grandfathers and great-grandfathers who fought and liberated Europe from fascism. Many of them died. It affected every family, so it's very personal for us. And, of course, we participate in all events, we organize some ourselves, we join others somewhere.

— And how does the Slovak society, in particular the younger generation, relate to the memory of the Great Patriotic War?

— Slovaks cherish the memory of those years. The ancestors of many families participated in the liberation movement. And it's also close to them. As for the younger generation... The fact is that less and less attention is being paid to the topic of the Second World War, for example, in history textbooks. And the further we move away from that time, the less interesting this topic is for the young.

Of course, there are young people who go with their parents, grandparents to the monuments, take part in various events. But most of them, I would say, live their own lives. Unfortunately, there are those who have a very wrong idea about the Second World War. They apparently received information from other, falsified sources. It's sad, of course.

— How can this situation be corrected? Maybe your organization holds some events specifically for young people?

— Of course, we are trying to do everything to attract young people and children to our events. They attend exhibitions dedicated to the exploits of our Red Army and the history of the Slovak National Uprising. Such exhibitions help a lot — young people think about them. But this, of course, must be done within the framework of state policy. And we help as much as we can.

— Do they honor the memory of the war in Slovakia at the domestic and family level, are they grateful to the Soviet soldiers for the liberation of the country?

— Yes, of course, I have such friends and acquaintances. I am very touched by their attitude to this topic. This topic is very important to them, they can be said to live by it, organize interest clubs. For example, one of these clubs is looking for Soviet awards, certificates that somehow got abroad — they buy them back, look for relatives and send them to Russia, can you imagine? This is all done voluntarily, this is not some kind of government program. It really touched me when we talked with the chairman of this club.

There is another story: they found someone's grave, then they find relatives of dead soldiers in Russia and keep in touch with them - they send them photos, videos, how they take care of these graves. Can you imagine how much this means to these people? I personally had such a case: in 2017, at a conference in Russia, I met a woman. And suddenly, a year and a half later, she called me and said: "Imagine, it turns out that our grandfather is buried in Slovakia." And they came to their grandfather's grave. Such stories are moving to tears.

We spend the Immortal Regiment together with Slovak friends"

— What events are you and your compatriots preparing for the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Bratislava? And will representatives of local authorities and local residents be invited to these events?

— The biggest celebrations that take place in Bratislava at the Slavin Memorial Complex are organized at the state level. That's usually where we all meet. There is also August 29, which is the Day of the Slovak National Uprising, which is widely celebrated. The main event takes place in Banska Bystrica.

— Is the Immortal Regiment campaign currently being held in Slovakia?

— When we went to the Immortal Regiment for the first time in May 2015 with portraits of our heroes, the locals really liked it. This movement was picked up, it was such a common impulse. And now we are spending the "Immortal Regiment" together with our Slovak friends, because everyone in the family has their own stories. They saw that thanks to this campaign, they could remind them of their grandfather, take his picture, come, show him, and tell them how it all happened.

Of course, this was noted more widely before covid. For example, exhibitions of the "Immortal Regiments" were held. And we did it together. Moreover, as I said, we do not impose anything on anyone. We go out on our own because it's important to us. And people see it, and they just pick it up. Of course, there was some kind of break, because there were serious restrictions. Now we're going back to everything that happened.

— Do I understand correctly that the plans are to hold the "Immortal Regiment" this year?

— This action is held every year, just in a different way. During the covid restrictions, this was not widespread. Now we are trying to hold the "Immortal Regiment" all over Slovakia, because it is supported by the local population. And it has already become such a reality that even when other organizations hold some events where we are not present, they already bring these photos to their event.