Cohabitation with the soviet army
1968 – 1991

The start of a soviet Mig-23 fighter jet from the Boží Dar Airport. An intensive aerial training was taking place into late night hours.

The events of August 1968 were received with bitterness and anger by the citizens of Milovice. However, they gradually had to accept the normalization reality and adapt to the new conditions. The proximity of the Soviet garrison brought them a number of serious problems. Problems like drinkable water shortage, noise from the intensive air traffic, higher crime rate in the village, disruption of the television signal, limitations of the number of connections for the civilian transports, pollution of the environment, etc. were addressed and solved for over 20 years with no overall results.

Soviet children at the Balonka housing estate.

The coexistence between the Czech and soviet inhabitants at the Balonka housing estate was also very problematic. Some of the soviet tenants did not respect basic rules of cohabitation at all. Complaints were constantly arriving at the Local National Committee (MNV), that the soviet tenants are disturbing night peace, waste water, throw trash into the cellars, destroy the greenery around the flats, park their cars on the sidewalks, etc. One of the possible causes for this behaviour could also be the constant change of tenants.

A tank without a driver, that killed a Milovice citizen Josef Jakubal, finally came to a stop at the apartment building n. 43.

Czechoslovak offices tried to solve the negative impacts caused by the stay of the soviet forces. However, they lacked any real tools to recover by them caused damages. The Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (KSČ) made everything a sensitive political issue. Many crimes and accidents were kept secret. One of the tragic events occurred on December 20^th, 1974 in Milovice, when a drunk Soviet soldier set a tank into motion, which drove through one of the so-called Finnish houses on Ostravská Street, where it killed the sleeping Josef Jakubal.

Laying wreaths at the monument to V. I. Lenin in front of the House of Officers.

The residents of Milovice met with members of the Soviet garrison at various public events, including laying wreaths at memorials, political evenings, etc. Official friendship was provided by the Union of Czechoslovak-Soviet Friendship (SČSP). Unofficial contacts were mainly based on trade. Soviet soldiers and officers sold stolen fuel, building materials, coal, meat, and much more cheaply. Officers also traded in scarce goods from the USSR, mainly colour televisions and other electronics.

Did you know that…? Between 1968 and 1991, Soviet soldiers caused the deaths of 425 Czechoslovak citizens.