Battle for Czechoslovak Radio

On January 5, 1968, Alexander Dubček became the first secretary of the Central Committee of the KSČ. It marked the beginning of the so-called Prague Spring. This process began to worry other Eastern Bloc countries, including the USSR. The leadership of the Soviet Union initially attempted to stop or limit the changes in the Czechoslovakia through a series of warnings. After a series of unsuccessful negotiations on the night of August 20 to August 21, 1968, the troops of the five Warsaw Pact states launched an invasion of Czechoslovakia. One of the first targets was Czechoslovak radio, which broadcast uncensored information about the invasion of Warsaw Pact troops and called for Passive resistance to the occupiers. Vladimír Fišer, Eva Kopecká, Věra Šťovíčková, Jiří Dienstbier, Ondřej Neff and others spoke to the audience from the radio. The fighting began at 5 AM.[4]

A crowd of about five hundred people gathered in front of the building of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Czech Republic, but it was still occupied by Soviet soldiers, who opened fire on the demonstrators. 4 people died in the massacre. Around seven o'clock, the fighting moved to the radio station. Demonstrators built a high barricade in the direction of Wenceslas Square. A few hundred men attempted to stop the advance of Soviet troops on the square.

At half past six, six Soviet tanks arrived directly in front of the radio station. The demonstrators attacked the tanks with stones, but then got into a heated discussion with their crews. This tense situation lasted for several hours. After one tank drove into a truck barricade and caught fire, the situation changed. One of the defenders of the barricade climbed on top of the tank and started waving the Czechoslovak flag. The driver of the tank unsuccessfully attempted to eject the demonstrator by maneuvering his tank, but was unsuccessful. Eventually, the demonstrator was shot dead by one of the soldiers. The Soviet troops responded to the unrest by firing on the demonstrators, causing most of them to disperse. Most of the demonstrators withdrew to Wenceslas Square and the surrounding areas. Many demonstrators were wounded and killed in the massacre, causing the demonstrators set up an emergency infirmary at the fountain under the National Museum. In the afternoon, gunfire could be heard from the Vinohradská trýda and houses near Hajnovka were on fire, with the radio under control of Soviet forces.[5][6]