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In an address to the Czech Senate on Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned of efforts by Russia – but especially China – to undermine democracy. Speaking ahead of travelling to several other European countries where the Chinese firm Huawei hopes to build 5G cellular networks, highlighted specific “campaigns of coercion and control” Beijing has used to advance its interests in this country.

In the closing days of World War Two a US Army unit took it upon itself to drive into a Czech village and rescue some of the most valuable horses in the world. The story has since inspired a Hollywood movie is annually a commemorated by locals and Americans in the town where the action took place.

The mayor of Sokolov in western Bohemia, Renata Olulehlova, has said she regrets removing the American flag from a WWII monument and final resting place of Soviet soldiers who died in the liberation effort during a commemorative ceremony marking the end of the war.

The mayor, who faced a barrage of criticism from locals and politicians, told Novinky.cz she regretted the decision which had been spurred by the fact that only the remains of Soviet soldiers were buried on the spot. No offense was intended, she said.

Outraged citizens pointed out that it was the US army which had liberated Sokolov and given the Soviet soldiers there a decent burial.

The Prague Uprising, which took place during the last days of the Second World War, was arguably the largest Czech combat outing on the territory of their state in the twentieth century. The specific impact of the various forces which took part in it remains a subject of heated discussion until this day. Whatever their role, some historians believe that, had the Czechs not risen up, the war in Europe would have continued for 11 more days.

May 8 is the 75th anniversary of VE Day. It is also the anniversary of the death of Lawrence Saywell, the last Australian soldier killed in the war in Europe. Saywell, an escaped POW who joined partisans in the Czech countryside, has been decorated by the Czechs – and is still remembered in the tiny village where he met his tragic end.

Two clouds hang over commemorations marking the 75th anniversary of the Prague Uprising against Nazi rule at the end of the Second World War. The first is an “invisible enemy” – the novel coronavirus – which has scuppered grand plans to honour those who fought to liberate the Czech capital. The second is the allegation of a plot to assassinate two Prague district mayors: one who tore down a statue to a Soviet marshal who Russia considers a hero; and one who erecting a statute to a Red Army general who Russia considers a traitor.

The West Bohemian city of Plzeň (Pilsen) was famously liberated by the US Army at the end of WWII. This year’s celebrations of that historic moment in May 1945 took an untraditional form, with the event going online in view of the coronavirus situation. Moderators invited various guests to a studio in Plzeň – and also hooked up with veterans in the United States.

March 25 is the 75th anniversary of the final bombardment of Prague by the Allies during World War II. Whereas previous bombings had been accidental, this time the US air raids were targeted at strategic sites in the east of the city.

The US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, may attend events in Plzeň in May marking the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Czech city at the end of World War II, the Czech News Agency said. The American foreign policy chief has received an invitation from the Czech side and confirmation is now being awaited, it reported.

The Czech News Agency said Mr. Pompeo had discussed a possible visit to the Czech Republic with the country’s ministry of foreign affairs, Tomáš Petříček, at the ongoing Munich Security Conference.

Events marking the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Plzeň will culminate on May 6, when US forces led by General George S. Patton entered the city in 1945.

A series of events are set to take place in New York and Washington this week to mark the upcoming 75th anniversary of the liberation of Pilsen by US troops. The main goal of the events, which culminate on Wednesday at the National Bohemian Hall, is to invite Americans to take part in the annual freedom celebrations, which are going to be even bigger this year.