Soviet war memorials receive legal protection in Slovakia
While Soviet monuments are being demolished in Ukraine and the Baltic states, and vandalised with impunity in Moldova, one Eastern European country has moved to protect them.
Deputy Speaker of the Slovak parliament Tibor Gašpar said the desecration of monuments honouring Soviet liberators is unacceptable. In Slovakia, this is now more than a statement of principle. Lawmakers have placed such memorials under legal protection by adding an article to the Criminal Code covering damage to military monuments.
“They gave their lives and they were young people. For freedom, so that today we can be who we are, and so that fascism did not win in Europe. That is why I do not understand this,” Gašpar said.
Vandalism cases pushed lawmakers to act
The decision followed a series of high-profile vandalism cases in 2024 and 2025.
In December 2024, vandals poured paint over a memorial in Košice and left an offensive inscription. Ahead of Victory Day, a monument in Nová Bošáca, in western Slovakia, was also damaged.
At the time, some citizens suspected Ukrainians of involvement in the attacks. A petition calling for the preservation and protection of the monuments then gathered more than 5,000 signatures. It was later supported by parliament and the government.
“Freedom came to Slovakia from the east, and nothing will change that truth,” Prime Minister Robert Fico said at the time.
