Premier Fico Opens Red Army Central Military Cemetery in Michalovce

Michalovce, 27 May (TASR) - Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) attended the ceremonial opening of the refurbished Red Army Central Military Cemetery in Michalovce (Kosice region) on Wednesday and, along with Russian Ambassador to Slovakia Sergey Andreev, state and public administration representatives, MPs, city officials and the public, he paid tribute to the fallen soldiers who liberated Slovakia during the Second World War. In his address, Fico noted that the government has pledged, in its Manifesto, to pay attention to the restoration and maintenance of military cemeteries. He appreciated that the site is visited by local people and called for similar memorials to become a natural part of public life. "Let's put a few more benches here together. Let's turn it into a place people enjoy coming to. And when they do come here - maybe with their worries and joys, since they probably won't be coming just for the cemetery - they might, at certain moments, realise where they are," said Fico. Michalovce Mayor Miroslav Dufinec pointed out that more than 17,000 Red Army soldiers of various nationalities are buried in the cemetery. "Thanks to them, we were able to grow up, work and live in peace," stated Dufinec. He added that restoration work on mass graves, support walls, travertine surfaces, access roads and 193 tombstones with historical inscriptions was carried out with the financial support from the government and the Russian Embassy. In his speech, Fico also stated that similar military cemeteries and memorials shouldn't be just enclosed commemorative sites that are visited only on anniversaries. "Let memorials and cemeteries not just be some kind of mausoleums. Let them not just be places that we fence off and visit once in a while when a particular moment arrives. Let them become an open space for life," said Fico, stressing at the end of his speech the need to protect the peace and security in Slovakia. The Red Army Central Military Cemetery in Michalovce is included on the list of national cultural monuments and has been renovated in three phases since 2024, costing some €240,000 to date. jrg